


DiMENSIONS

by LollipopHime



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Butler!Gaku, Character Death, Commoner!Momo, Doctor!Mitsuki, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Idol!Banri, Idol!Yuki, It’s angsty but things get better I swear, Lord!Riku, M/M, Maid!Tsumugi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outcast!Tenn, Programmer!Ryuu, Rating May Change, Regulator!Nagi, Riku is OP, Scientist!Iori, Scientist!Yamato, angel - Freeform, dragon - Freeform, when i say angst i mean it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2020-03-19 18:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 75,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LollipopHime/pseuds/LollipopHime
Summary: Science conquers in Silica. The world evolves with technology.In Majabah, magic rules. Achievements are through the power of magic.The two worlds exist separately without any connections to each other until a young doctor was accidentally transported from Silica to Majabah. There may be consequences....~~Hope you enjoy this story and please, comment away!





	1. The Beginning

\--------------------------------------------

“How are you two doing? I’ve brought some snacks!”

A short orange-haired young man stepped through an automatic glass door, holding up a large plastic bag in his hand. The room he set his foot on was relatively dark and had several large strange machines, each connected to some sort of computing devices. There, two scientists wearing proper lab coats were focusing on their tasks. One of them had his sharp grey eyes fixated on the monitor and a large keyboard. The other one was wearing glasses and sipping beer from the can while writing up reports.

The raven haired man stopped his hands from rapidly typing when he noticed his own big brother stepped into the laboratory. “Ah, Nii-san. Are you done with work already?” Two of them walked to a large white table. Whenever someone sat at that table, people knew it was time for a break. Soon, the green haired man joined them.

“Yea, I don’t have that many patients today for once. Come on, Ossan you’re walking too slowly. It’s time to eat!” After answering Iori’s question, the short male turned around to shout at his best friend, Nikaido Yamato.

Izumi Mitsuki was a doctor even though he was only 21. His skills as a surgeon and his thoroughness got him this job. In this world, Silica, science conquered everything. Respect was earned by showing skills through inventions or well written research. In Mitsuki’s case, he was able to recognise the patients' symptoms and led other older doctors to the correct diagnoses since he was 16.

Nikaido Yamato was the head scientist researching space distortions. He was hoping his research would some day be a step forward to transport. If space could be altered, an object or a person could be sent from one place to another. Life would be so much more convenient, perfect for a guy like him. Izumi Iori took an interest in his research and so Yamato recruited him as a part-timer. Iori was still in high school and he was a perfect student when it comes to studying.

“Onii-san is tired, you know? Go easy on me” Yamato yawned. Before he took the seat, an idea sparked in his head. It was probably no good. “Mitsu, want to see our progress?” The green haired male spoke as he acted cool by adjusting his glasses.

Mitsuki was intrigued. “Yea, yea show me!” The three then walked to the corner of the room with a huge machine five times Iori's height. Yamato started operating it right away. Iori put a random box on the machine and closed the glass door.

“Nii-san, this is our first step to moving objects by distorting space” Iori smiled at his big brother. Mitsuki felt proud even though he had not yet seen the machine operate.

“Once I press start, this box is going to disappear and appear two metres away from its original position.” Yamato said excitedly as he hard pressed the start button. What seemed like a mini lightning strike hit the box. However, the box was not the only thing it hit. The machine malfunctioned and the lightning was misdirected.

It hit Mitsuki.

“WWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! IORIIIII” Mitsuki screamed. What the doctor felt was not pain. He felt like he lost the control of his body and that gravity was flipped. He floated from the ground. Mitsuki reached his hands out trying to grab Iori’s, but he only floated higher.

Within seconds, the lightning disappeared and Mitsuki was nowhere in sight. The two scientists looked at each other in total shock.

~~

“Make sure no one step onto this ground. Now go!”

The silver haired man with fierce eyes ordered 8 guards to start patrolling around what seemed to be a mansion of a rich family. The whole mansion was made of wood in traditional Japanese style. It was surrounded by a carefully designed garden. The man ordered the guards to cut down anyone who trespass this beautiful ground.

Yaotome Gaku was a butler serving a certain highborn family. Not only he was capable of using magic to heal minor cuts and wounds, he was especially skilled with magic shuriken. Yaotome lineage had been serving this family for over 100 of years and he was proud to inherit that blood.

A glow appeared in the garden, near the large pond full of colourful carps. It grew larger and larger, until the orange haired boy appeared and fell onto the ground on his bum.

“Owwww” Mitsuki groaned as his landing was not the smoothest. After a few minutes, he looked around him. “Huh? W-where is this? A garden?” Mitsuki tried to stay calm and thought about what happened. He came to a conclusion that he was probably transported to some place near to Yamato’s facility. However, he was woken up from his train of thought when suddenly, a large sharp shuriken was pointed right at his neck, ready to slice it into two.

“Who are you!?! How did you get in here?!” Gaku was filled with rage. The guards were all trained by him so not even a single rat could sneak into the house and yet the boy was sitting in the garden.

Mitsuki trembled with fear. Part of the shuriken already touched his skin, making him bleed a little. Gaku shouted at him again, demanding answers. It seemed Mitsuki forgot how to use his vocal chords. No words came out of his mouth. Gaku decided he was not going to get an answer, so he raised his large shuriken high up in the air, ready to strike down a fatal blow to the doctor.

“That’s enough, Gaku!”

Gaku’s eyes widened and lowered his weapon immediately upon hearing the voice he knew too well. He still kept it in his hands as it was his job to always be on guard. Gaku would bend down on one knee and lower his head in normal situation, but he had to keep an eye on the intruder. “Nanase-sama, this intuder trespassed your holy ground” Gaku explained.

“He’s only a young boy, Gaku. Look, he’s terrified.” A man with crimson hair and fiery red eyes walked closer to Mitsuki. Gaku was trying to stop him only to be halted by his master who ordered him to stay on the spot.

Nanase Riku was the head of the highborn house 'Nanase'. This is the world called 'Majabah'. In Majabah, magic was the rule. Nanase house was famous and feared for their terrifyingly powerful black magic.

Riku bent down to the ground right in front of Mitsuki. “Are you alright? From where do you hail, boy?” His genuine lovely smile had a mysterious calming effect to Mitsuki.

“S-silica, I’m from si-” Mitsuki got his voice back and answered the best he could only to be stopped by the red head who touched the cut on his neck with care.

“You’re wounded.” The master turned to his butler. “You did this to him, didn’t you? Heal him now!” He demanded. Gaku was trying to oppose when his master commanded again. “Heal. Him. Now.”

Mitsuki was beyond confused: what did they mean by heal? He was expecting bandages and disinfectants as a doctor when Gaku put away his shuriken. He was surprised when the silver haired man raised his hand and a green glow surrounded Gaku’s body. After mere seconds, Mitsuki’s cut disappeared completely without a trace.

“What? N-no way!? H-how!?!” Mitsuki touched his neck. No blood got on his hand. He did not feel the sting from the cut. It was like the cut was never inflicted. Gaku frowned seeing the boy’s reaction.

“It was just basic white magic, why are you so surprised?” Gaku snapped.

Mitsuki was shocked to hear the word ‘magic’. Such fantasy does not exist. Could it be he was transported into a dream world, or an artificial world? Mitsuki’s head was exploding. Panic hit him and made him pass out.

“Boy!” Riku shook Mitsuki’s body to find he was not moving. “Gaku take him in!”

“But Nanase-sama..!” Gaku did not like the idea one bit.

“Just do it!” Riku snapped.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewlo Lovely People it's Kenar desu~! I'm inspired to write a whole new genre for IDOLiSH7 fanfics after I read ArcMages's Cursed. Teehee~ So I hope you will enjoy it and thanks ArcMages for writing such a great story :D
> 
> I took the idea of magic wielder butler from Fire Emblem fates :P teehee~
> 
> Please comment nyan~!
> 
> EDIT 9 Aug: added book cover


	2. The Lord of Majabah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that texts in italics represents that person’s inner thoughts~

- **Majabah** -

Mitsuki gasped loudly and shouted the familiar names as he sprang his upper body up from the futon. “Iori! Ossan!” He reached one of his hands forward. Perhaps it was a nightmare. It was dark all around him.

“Gaku, light the room up”

With a snap of his fingers, sunlight could penetrate through the thin traditional decorated sliding doors. The doors had a wooden frame. They had cherry blossoms and branches printed on them. The room they were in was relatively small compared to others. It was near empty with just Mitsuki’s futon in the middle and a random cabinet in one corner.

Mitsuki looked to the right to find Riku sitting on a chair and Gaku on his knee beside his master. Mitsuki’s eyes met with Riku’s and so the red head smiled. Immediately Gaku was not pleased. “Someone needs to teach this commoner manners” Riku sighed. He hated to use his authority power, but with Gaku around, he must. “Gaku, quiet or leave” With just one line, Gaku bowed his head down, not saying anymore.

“Now, boy, tell me about yourself.” To Riku, Mitsuki was wearing some strange clothes. He was wearing a short sleeved collar shirt and a trousers. They seemed light. Both Gaku and Riku were wearing westernised clothes despite their mansion being traditional Japanese-looking. Gaku looked elegant in those stylish butler clothes. As for Riku, do not even start, he was flawless from the top down wearing clothes and attitude of a noble.

Mitsuki felt intimidated. The young doctor was not left with many choices. “M-my name is Izumi Mitsuki, sir. I’m 21 and from Silica District One” Riku was surprised, not because of the Silica part. He thought Mitsuki was surely younger than him. Boy, he was so wrong.

“Silica. Never heard of it.” Riku shook his head. As a Nanase, he had read an extensive range of books and learned much about the world, the history of Majabah. Yet, he had never once heard nor seen Silica in any of the records. He decided to change his question. “What magic can you use?”

“Magic?!?” There’s no way I can use magic!” _Such a thing does not exist_ , Mitsuki thought. Then again he witnessed Gaku healing the cut on his neck in an instant. If that was not magic, then what? Gaku frowned. Riku’s face was painted with worry.

“That is absurd!” Gaku shouted, trying his hardest not to use the word ‘brat’. “Boy, you are before Nanase-sama, lairs will not be tolerated!” Riku snapped at Gaku again. Seriously, why could he not have a less stuck up butler.

“But I really don’t know magic! I’ve never seen it before in my life!” Mitsuki explained genuinely. Gaku would probably have cut the boy if he was not under Riku’s order. Riku remained in his calm posture then spoke “What of the place you spoke of then? Are you saying there exists no magic where you hail?”

“Yes, sir. Our place is run by technology, science and all that” Mitsuki was in total shock when the word science went unrecognised by the two men. _Just what is going on here?!_

Riku saw that Mitsuki was in a panic. “I can tell you spoke the truth, Mitsuki.” The noble sighed. “Though a strange incident it may be. Perhaps you are from another world entirely” Gaku bit his lip. His master was being way too open-minded. He was worried Riku would one day put himself in danger because of his kindness and naiveness.

_Is this another world entirely? I mean, scientifically, if our world Silica exists, there may be a possibility that another world exists. And somehow, Iori and Ossan’s machine got me here by distorting space..._ Mitsuki thought hard.

“Gaku, tell Tsumugi to prepare a proper room” Gaku looked at his master in disbelief. “Nanase-sama, please reconsider!” Riku only replied “He has nowhere to go. We know not of his world nor how he would get back. Plus, he would not survive in Majabah without magic.” The noble stood up and offer a light smile to Mitsuki.

“As a lord who rules Majabah, I, Nanase Riku, must treat our visitor kindly.”

~~

Mitsuki felt horribly uncomfortable as the so called ‘lord’ offered to give a mansion tour himself. Gaku had some other duties to carry out. He hated to leave his master alone with a total weird stranger. Then again, his guards were patrolling the mansion. He could trust them to some extent.

There were not many people in the mansion but, as soon as someone saw Riku and Mitsuki passed through, they stopped what they were doing and bowed before them. Mitsuki could hear gossips about him. He partly wished he could run away. Another part of him was grateful the lord was kind to him.

“U-um your..majesty? Where are we going?” Riku giggled at Mitsuki’s words. “Just call me Riku”

“I think your servant will kill me if I call you that” Mitsuki felt a chill when he recalled the time his neck was pointed by a shuriken.

“Mhmm hmmm~" Riku hummed. It was as if he had turned into a different person. He seemed more approachable, and a little childish. “Simple, just don’t call me that in front of Gaku~! Ehehehehe” Riku spun himself with joy. “This is the garden where we found you. Well, another part of it. We grow some plants here”

Mitsuki stood in front of a large area of decorated plants. There were several field of herbs in between lines of lovely shrubs. Mitsuki took a sudden interest in the herbs. He bent down. Most of the herbs looked just like the ones back home. Mitsuki happened to know a lot about medicinal herbs. He wondered if they had the same properties as well. “Riku, this purple leaf here, does it help with constipation?”

Riku got closer to Mitsuki and said yes. The lord beamed. “Is this not a great start? You found something you kno-“ Riku’s sentence was interrupted by a series of coughs. Mitsuki, being a doctor, his instinct acted. “Riku, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine!” Riku smiled. “Let’s continue on with the tour~" Mitsuki was not fully convinced, but he played along with Riku while keeping a close watch. It took around half an hour to do a full tour of the place. The doctor noticed something was not right. The mansion was not isolated or covered with a wall. _How come no birds fly through? They would love the garden with food lying around._ As if Riku could read Mitsuki’s mind, he said the mansion was protected by a magic barrier.

The two were sitting by the carp pond Mitsuki was first found. One of the maids brought them icy sweet drinks and food for the fish. Once Riku turned back to grab a drink and said thank you, the maid’s hands shook slightly. When she left, Mitsuki blurted out what he was thinking. “She seems scared of you...” The doctor quickly covered his mouth when he realised what he had done.

“Yeah...they all fear me” Riku tightened his grip on his glass. His eyes turned sad. “After all I tried to burn them all down...”

“You did WHAT?”

Riku began his tale. Long long ago, Majabah had a royal family who cared nothing about their people and so the rebellion started. The royal family was annihilated by its people, leaving the world in chaos. People started fighting each other to become the next ruler of Majabah. Three houses including the Yaotomes had their exceptional talents in magic. Each gained their own followers. The war between houses was never-ending until one day, a man bearing the name ‘Nanase’ appeared. He single handedly shut down two houses with his monstrous magic power. The Yaotomes surrendered and swore to serve Nanase. Nanase became the ruler of Majabah and so the house Nanase stood as lord of Majabah since then. However, for the past 100 years, the Nanase left most of the authority duties to the Yaotomes. They only remained as public figures and performed some important rituals. Still, Majabah was the world of magic. An ugly truth remained that people who knew little magic were discriminated.

“Because of this, my twin brother was abandoned by our parents. He was born with little black magic capabilities. Even with vigorous training and dedication, he was ignored. When we were 15, he was forced to leave the house.” Riku’s body started shaking. “Not long after that, our father passed. Our mother passed away long before. I was consumed with rage.” Tears started welling in Riku’s eyes.

“I tried to find Tenn-nii. He was nowhere to be seen and so I fell into resentment. I used my magic to set the mansion on fire, intending to take my life along with it. Tsumugi helped evacuate the maids and butlers so only some of them suffered minor injuries. Gaku used his protection magic to cover himself so that he could fight through the fire and find me. My fire magic dispelled his protection spell every few minutes yet he did not give up. He suffered burn scars throughout his body.” Riku could picture that day so clearly. He remembered his anger, his emotional and physical pain as he coughed his lungs out. He remembered how Gaku carried him out of the mansion and ran into town shouting for help despite his injuries. Riku finally let himself cry, but kept his composure. “I am a monster...”

Mitsuki was taken aback by Riku’s words. A young boy sitting next to him had been through so much more than he could imagine. The young doctor hesitated a little before carefully put his arm over Riku’s shoulder, making Riku jump a little. Luckily, Mitsuki did not let go as Riku started to relax. The lord wondered how long it had been since someone reassured him like that.

“Riku, I’m sure if people know of your situations they would understand why you did what you did. You regret about it. A real monster wouldn’t, so don’t say you are one. I can already see you are a kind person. You helped me. You always smile to your servants.” Mitsuki felt the urge to ruffle Riku’s head like what he usually does to Iori, but had to refrain from doing so. Riku thanked Mitsuki, making the shorter boy smiled. “I have a younger brother, you know? I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I lost him. Although...right now he’s probably trying to find me.”

“I will help you find your way home” Riku turned to look at Mitsuki and smiled lightly. “But since it is likely you will be in Majabah for some time, I should show you around...”

“And teach you some magic”

~~

“Just how far have I wandered away from home?”

A young boy, white haired with a slight tint of pink sitting down by the large rock on the mountaintop looked up to the bright blue sky. He was feeling a little lost. He was more than tired. The boy had been travelling for 3 years. Never had he stayed in one place longer than a month. He made a living by accepting small jobs here and there using his magic. As he travelled the lands he became capable of using several types of magic and acquired a lot of skills, but no matter how hard he tried he could not master any of them.

“Riku...”

This young boy was Nanase Tenn, a twin brother of the lord Nanase Riku. Since he was disowned by his parents, he went by the name Kujou Tenn instead as he roamed around the lands. No one would have believed him to be a Nanase anyway, with that little magic power of his.

“I’d better get moving, it’s going to get dark soon. I need to find an inn around here” Tenn grabbed his small pack of essential things and started walking towards the river. He decided to follow it, hoping it would lead to a town.

Something was off. Tenn felt like someone was following him. He quickly turned around. Looked to the left, nothing. Looked to the right, also nothing. He thought maybe his mind was playing tricks on him since he was so tired. He sighed as he closed his soft pink eyes.

As soon as he opened them, a blinding light flashed before him. “Argh!” The light burned his left eye. Tenn covered it with his hand. The pain was so great that he could not run. Even if he tried he would not escape the light that engulfed his whole body in milliseconds.

“ARGGGGHHHHHHH!!!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was some backstory of the lord of Majabah, Riku! Honestly, the plot of this pic still remains open and loose so I don't know when the next update will be. Writing a fantasy AU is much harder than I thought. Perhaps I'm a little too um realistic? 
> 
> I don't know who to ship yet in this fic :P The only ship I die hard for is IoRiku lol
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Comments and votes are always appreciated~! Teehee


	3. New Encounter

**-Majabah** -

Riku wanted to show Mitsuki to his room and then around town but as they walked from the garden back into the mansion, Riku was out of breath. Of course, the doctor noticed that it was not normal. They were only walking at a moderate pace, no one should be tired, yet Riku was drawing in deep breaths in attempt to steady his breathing.

“Riku, let’s stop for a bit” Mitsuki pulled Riku into a kitchen. No one was there, luckily. “Sit down, Riku” Mitsuki ordered as he pulled a chair from the table for Riku.

“Eh? What’s going on Mitsu- * _cough!*_ ” Riku was interrupted by a minor coughing fit, just like before.

“You’re sick, aren’t you?”

“I-I’m fine!” Riku denied even though he was clearly panting.

Mitsuki sighed. “Look, I’m a doctor back in Silica” When Riku gave him a confused look, Mitsuki explained “I help sick people” Mitsuki then pulled another chair and sit in front of Riku. “I can tell you’re unwell. Let’s see if I can help. Do you have any known conditions?”

Riku hesitantly answered “Um...I have asthma” He paused a little. “Only Gaku knows though”

Mitsuki’s eyebrows shrugged “Do you carry around an inhaler, or some sort of medicine?” The doctor asked. He was not sure how this world works yet, but surely if they could heal cuts instantly, there should be ways to help with illnesses right? Well, he was wrong. While white magic could heal even near fatal wounds, illnesses were a little tricky.

Riku explained “If it gets really bad, Gaku calls a healer who can make potions” Mitsuki was shocked to hear but tried to keep calm.

“Right...this can’t be good” Mitsuki thought hard with his hands on his hips. Then an idea came to his mind - the herbs! Some of the herbs in the garden could be converted to natural, traditional medicine which may help with Riku’s asthma. The problem was, how would he convert them into medicine without proper equipment? The doctor thought maybe a dry powder could work.

“Riku, can I use the herbs in the garden?” Mitsuki asked. He did not know if his idea would work but it was worth trying when Riku was clearly struggling.

“And just what are you planning to do with those, disrespectful brat!?!”

Gaku stormed in and grabbed Mitsuki’s shirt on the chest. His gaze was so fierce it felt like it could cut Mitsuki in half. Riku shouted for Gaku to stop but it turned into a series of violent coughs. “Nanase-sama!” Gaku released Mitsuki and turned to support his master right away. Luckily, it did not escalate into a full blown attack. 

Mitsuki regained his balance and fixed his shirt. “Look, I’m trying to help your lord here so don’t work him up!” He scolded Gaku like when he scolded his naughty patients. The doctor was ready to counter all arguments for his patient and was surprised when Gaku’s did not try to argue back or cut him with a shuriken.

“Can you truly help Nanase-sama?” Gaku’s face was filled with concern. He cared deeply about his master. He hated to see his lord suffer every day and not being able to do anything much.

“Yeah, I can try. " Mitsuki quieted down seeing Gaku's behaviour change. "Say, butler-san, why don’t you help me get some herbs in the garden? And are there paper and pens around here?” With that, Gaku casted some sort of magic on himself. He dashed super swiftly out of the room and reappeared with pens and some pieces of paper. “Whoa, that’s amazing speed...” Mitsuki shook his head. He had to focus on Riku right now. He wrote herb descriptions, took care to make sure his handwriting was readable, and handed to Gaku. “Can you fetch these for me? I’ll look after R..your lord. Oh and get like a piece of wood too if possible?”

Gaku once again left with super speedy dash. Mitsuki then sketched a design of a circular inhaler. “Thank you for doing this, Mitsuki” Riku spoke. Mitsuki told Riku not to worry and that he should focus on keeping his breaths steady.

It only took Gaku 2 minutes to come back with an armful of herbs and a block of wood. Mitsuki smiled as those herbs were exactly the ones he was looking for. He showed Gaku the inhaler design. “Think you can make this out of wood while I make the powder?”

“Hmph, easy” Gaku smirked and used his shuriken to craft an ‘inhaler’ in a flash. Mitsuki did not even start yet. He decided it would be quicker to just ask Gaku. “Uh can you turn these herbs into a very fine powder?” Mitsuki placed the herbs in a large mixing bowl.

“Powder...we need wind magic” Gaku eyed his master sympathetically. “Nanase-sama, I hate to ask this of you but can you please cast a little wind magic?” Riku smiled and effortlessly created a mini whirlwind which was just small enough to fit in a mixing bowl. “I don’t know wind magic, you see” Gaku explained to Mitsuki.

And soon they had the super fine powder. “This is perfect!” Mitsuki beamed as he loaded the powder into the crafted inhaler. “Here, Riku breathe this in through your mouth” Gaku’s hands twitched when he heard ‘Riku’ but he contained himself.

Riku felt better almost instantly. “Uwaaah It’s so easy to breathe...! Thank you so much Mitsuki!” He said childishly as he put his hand on his chest. Gaku’s mouth dropped. “I-Impressive!” He shouted.

“Nice” Mitsuki beamed while standing in front of the lord. “Now we just need to make sure to have a stock of those powders. And maybe we can make some drinking medicine to control the sympto-“ Mitsuki was interrupted by Gaku who lightly bowed his head in front of him and said “I am Yaotome Gaku, faithful butler of Nanase-sama. I apologised for my rude behaviour earlier today.” Mitsuki told Gaku it was okay. Riku could not help laughing at the two.

~~

- **Silica** -

“Fwah!?!”

Iori went back home after a long, tiring day of trying to locate Mitsuki. His head was filled with worry. How is he going to tell the hospital that his Nii-san suddenly disappeared and will not be working for a while? Is Nii-san even safe? Why did the machine not record the location he was sent to like normal?

The Izumi family consists of just Mitsuki and Iori. They live in a relatively small 23th floor apartment with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The kitchen, equipped with all cooking appliances, is combined with the living room. The have a dining table next to the house door. Sofas and a TV were placed near the clear huge glass wall. It is possible to see a nice Silica district One view from there. The whole apartment was decorated with black and white theme. Three years ago, their parents went on a vacation. On their way back, the bus they were on fell into the river because the brake was stuck. There were no survivors from that tragic accident. Mitsuki was just 18 and was studying to become a doctor. He did a great job looking after Iori by himself. Iori was also a mature 14-year-old who never caused big trouble for his brother.

Iori would never admit it to people but he gets lonely incredibly easily. Right now he wished he could go stay with Yamato just to be with someone, but Yamato is a scientist with a mysterious past. He never talks about himself except for the fact that he is married to a man named ‘Ryuu’.

The high school student was sitting on his sofa, drinking some warm milk with honey when all of a sudden a glow of light appeared before his eyes. Iori put his mug of milk down on the low table and quickly stood up. “What in the...?” Forgetting about being a scientist, he reached his hands towards the glow of light which was getting larger and larger. No warmth was coming from it and it did not hurt his eyes at all. It was as if he was in Virtual Reality.

A second later, that light disappeared to reveal a boy about as tall as him. He had very light pinkish white hair with a bang on one side longer than another. He was wearing strange clothes: a brown robe covering from his shoulder to just below the waist and a darker brown trousers. The boy opened his eyes to reveal a beautiful crystal-like pink pair. It was when Iori went “Fwah!?!” and almost fell backwards in surprise.

“W-where is this?” The boy looked around him quickly. It was full of strange stuffs. His face then went pale as he slowly lifted his shaky hand up to cover his left eye. “I can’t see...!” He lunged forward at Iori and shook the scientist violently. “What the hell did you do to me!?!”

“Please stop shaking me!” Iori snapped, making Tenn freeze. “I should be the one asking. How did you get into my house!?! What was that glow of light just now?”

“Your house?” Tenn looked around once more. He tried to tell himself being in a panic won’t solve anything. He then looked at Iori. Both of them had worry painted over their faces. “You really know not of how I got here?”

The scientist shook his head no. “Are you saying you got...teleported here?” Iori was concerned. Yamato was the only scientist well known in Silica for researching space distortion. Who was capable of sending his person here? In the world of science, the first person who publishes their discovery gets all the credit. There is no room for the second.

Tenn decided it may be best to explain what happened. “I was walking along the river to the town of Lakka when a strange light hit my left eye and before I could do anything, I appeared here”

Iori sat back down on the couch. “Lak-ka? Which district is that in?” In Silica, the world is divided into zones called ‘district’. District One is the city centre, where Iori and Yamato are living and working in. There are 8 districts in total, the eighth being the furthest from the city centre.

“District? I do not understand.” Tenn stared at Iori. They both locked eyes for seconds before Iori could say anything else. “This is Silica district One, the city centre.”

“Silika? What is that?” Tenn narrowed his eyes. Iori was in shock. “Did you hit your head or something? Silica is the name of this planet. Our world!” He spoke sternly. He did not like where this whole conversation is going at all.

“Planet? World? This isn’t Majabah?” Tenn was starting to panic again and grabbed Iori’s shoulder. Still, he was trying to confirm the situation he was in. “Tell me who rules the world!” Tenn was hoping for the answer to be ‘The Nanase’ when it wasn’t.

“Did you lose your mind or are you retarded?” Iori being classic, he was not able to stop his sharp tongue. Still, he was a young scientist who tried to make the connection from the information he had. He sighed. “So you are saying you are from this Majabah, which is potentially another planet, and in Majabah a certain lord rules the world?”

Tenn sat down beside Iori. “Correct...” He touched his left eye seeing only darkness again. “So I somehow end up here huh?” A green glow surrounded Tenn’s body as he attempted to cast white magic on himself, hoping to cure his blindness. It did not work.

Just when Iori thought he could gather more information he witnessed another strange phenomenon. “W-what did you just do?”

“Hah?” Tenn looked at Iori and narrowed his eyes. “It’s just a simple white magi-“

“MAGIC!?!” Iori cut Tenn off. He was the one panicking this time. Such a thing only exists in fairytales right?

After a long, long talk. Iori finally came to an understanding that Tenn was from a world that uses magic and somehow got teleported here. Tenn also got that magic does not exist in this world. What he did not understand was - how do people survive without magic? Iori was not sure what Tenn meant by ‘magic’. They had a lot to learn about each other.

Iori sighed. What a weird day. He then got up, went to his room and grabbed some clothes. He handed them to Tenn. “Change into this, people will think you are wearing strange things. Then we’ll go to a doctor. See if they can fix that eye of yours.”

Tenn stared at the clothes in his hands for a while “...why are you helping me?” During his travels, Tenn had met a lot of nice people who taught him several things. In this case, he ended up in someone’s house. A normal person would have chased him out and called a guard to capture him, especially when he was speaking ‘nonsense’ to them.

Iori wondered why he was helping this person too. He should have called the police and let them deal with him. At the same time, he felt sympathetic for the guy. Perhaps because his brother was also missing and he wished someone would treat him kindly. Plus, Iori did not mind a company when his house was near empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise update desu! I just thought I haven't updated this fic for a long while so here you go.   
> While I still can't decide on ships: YamaRyuu is definite because they are married. Gaku and Mitsuki are probably fighting for Riku's love. And TennIori for the time being.


	4. Settling in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iori took Tenn to the doctor in Silica then had some talk back home.  
> In Majabah, well someone faced the lord's wrath...

- **Majabah** -

“This is certainly a problem”

The lord Riku, his personal butler Gaku, and Mitsuki walked into a room Tsumugi prepared for Mitsuki to stay in. However, since Majabah is a world of magic, there are no electrical appliances. Mitsuki cannot light up the room himself at night. He cannot make tea without fire magic even if there is a mini kitchenette in the room. Gaku touched his forehead like it was hurting. He mumbled to himself “To think this brat saved Nanase-sama...”

“My lord if I may” Tsumugi bent down on one knee and bowed her head to speak to Riku. “I am happy to serve Izumi-sama during his stay”

Takanashi Tsumugi is the head of the maids serving Nanase house. She is capable of using a wide range of magic and is able to make basic potions. Not only that, she is skilled with one-handed rapiers so she can protect her lord if need be. Her maid-cafe-like uniform may seem delicate, but it is actually protected with magic for combat.

Mitsuki was taken aback hearing he was addressed as ‘Izumi-sama’. Before he could say anything, Gaku snapped. “That is absurd! Why would you serve a commoner!?!” Even though Gaku may have sounded rude, it was the truth. Mitsuki was just a 'normal' citizen back in Silica. Silica has no royal family so the people with authorities are politicians who are expert scientists with several famous publications. Mitsuki, though talented, is no where near that. “Like Yaotome-san said, I don’t have a title or anything. Please just call me Mitsuki. What’s your name, maid-san?”

“Tsu-Tsumugi desu. Takanashi Tsumugi.” She seemed nervous. Not sure if it was because she was before Riku or she was unsure of Mitsuki’s ‘class’.

“Well then. There is one way to solve the problem.” Riku spoke formally as a lord so Gaku bent down to listen.

“Mitsuki can stay in my room”

Gaku looked up at his lord in total shock. “NO! Nanase-sama, consider your position before you speak!” Gaku shouted. He was probably considered very rude if he was in public, but technically, he was older than his lord and grew up by his side. Riku considered him as a friend, but Gaku would not dare step over the line.

Riku let out a sigh before turning to Gaku. “Why must you be so difficult? Then what is your suggestion, Gaku?”

The butler bit his lip. He hated the idea in his mind but he had no choice. “He will stay in mine.”

~~

- **Silica** -

As soon as Tenn stepped outside of Iori’s house, he gasped. “Whoa...!” It was already dark outside. While he could not see his surroundings very clearly, it still amazed him. Several tall buildings lined up, forming a busy business area. There were cars driving everywhere. Not that he knew what they were. People were walking past with weird devices in their hands. Some people wore some sort of ‘ear accessories’. Just a few steps away, there was a black box with three colours of lights. His head started to spin. His mind was totally blown when he saw a big train running in the sky.

Tenn started sweating so much. He had never been so terrified. He had established he was in another world, yet he had never seen anything so bizarre during his three years of travelling. “Are you quite alright?” Iori walked up to grab Tenn’s shoulder when he saw that the boy went really pale.

“How is something that size moving in the sky...?” Tenn had several more questions in his head but the ‘sky train’ really confused him.

Iori did not quite comprehend. What was so shocking? “It works like a normal train, just the rails are up in the sky, so it’s called ‘sky train’. What about it?” Tenn just looked at Iori with his wide eyes.

“What do you mean by ‘What about it’? How is it flying in the sky?” He pointed at the street. “What are these metallic thing with wheels? How are the buildings so tall?” The boy was in a total panic, but the one who panicked more was Iori. He did not know how to begin his explanation. He grew up with these things. No one had ever questioned WHAT they were.

“C-calm down, Kujou-san. How about I explain things as we go? It’s likely you will be here for a while so you need to learn things anyway.”

Tenn seemed to have calmed down a little upon hearing the word ‘learn’. He had always been learning things. That was something he was capable of. He nodded and followed Iori. The high school student was not sure what Tenn knew and what he did not so he explained everything, from traffic lights indications, how to cross the road. Iori was glad it was nighttime because people would look at them really weirdly if they could hear their conversation. There were still several things Tenn had not seen such as how to shop using contactless cards or even simple things like how to operate a lift.

To Iori’s surprise, Tenn took in the information pretty well. He was a fast learner and was able to ask relevant questions. He would probably have become a great scientist if he grew up in Silica. Also, he was grateful Tenn understood the consequences of using magic in public. Soon, they arrived at the sky train station.

“Ah!” Iori shouted. He forgot an important process. “We need to get you an ID card first before we can go to the hospital!” Tenn followed him out of the station to the police station. As soon as the two entered the building, an AI robot came to greet them and asked what they were there for. Tenn could not take his eyes of it. “A speaking...box?”

The whole thing was strange to Iori. He thought magic was something out of this world yet here,  a magic user was being fascinated by simple everyday stuffs.

The two were led to a biometric machine which took Tenn’s picture, his blood sample and his fingerprints. A card then was produced which showed Tenn’s information and picture. “No way..!” Tenn’s eyes sparkled as he stared at his new ID card.

“Not happy with how you look?” Iori asked. Most people seem to hate their ID photos. Tenn shook his head “I’ve never seen something like this! It’s like using a mirror!” Iori laughed dryly.  _Oh, they don’t even have a camera..._

They finally got to the hospital after teaching Tenn how to use the ticket machine at the sky train. Iori sank in the chair in the waiting room thinking about Mitsuki.  _What if Nii-san somehow ends up in another world like Kujou-san? Would there be someone to explain things like what he is doing? What if he ends up in magic world? Will someone kill him?_

Tenn’s eyes were welling up with tears when the doctor told him that his left eye was blind for good. When Iori saw the magic user slowly walked out of the examination room with that expression, he knew there was bad news.

“They...couldn’t fix it” Tenn said.

“I’m sorry” Iori looked away. He wished he had something better to say. Mitsuki would know what to do in this situation. Tenn sighed and smiled a little. “At least I still have my other eye.” That was what Riku would say. The boy was always so positive. Tenn really wanted to see him, but the chance was even more slim now that he ended up in Silica.

The two did not say anything to each other on their way home. Tenn only followed Iori quietly until the moment Iori tapped his key fob on the house door to unlock it.

“Unfortunately we don’t have a spare room so you would have to sleep in Nii-san’s room” Iori told Tenn as he held the door for him.

A certain word caught Tenn’s interest. “Nii-san? You have a brother?” Tenn saw when Iori’s expression changed from neutral to a little sad. Iori pulled a chair at the dining table closest to the door and sat down so Tenn did too.

“Yes but he went missing around lunchtime today.” Iori proceeded to explain about the experiment. To his surprise, Tenn actually understood vaguely what happened. He felt sympathetic for the boy. It reminded him of the day Riku screamed for him when he was kicked out of the house. He cared more about his younger twin brother than himself.

“Are you two close?” Tenn relaxed in his seat and asked. “I guess we are.” The scientist told Tenn about the accident that took their parents’ lives which made Tenn freeze. Tenn wished selfishly for a moment. He wished there should have been some sort of accident to take his parents’ lives, and he wished Izumi’s parents lived. Tenn decided to tell his side of story. “I have a younger brother. We are twins actually.”

Iori leaned forward slightly as he listened to Tenn’s family situation. It sent Iori into anger. “How could someone do this to their child?!? That is terrible!” He settled down after blurting the words out. “I’m sorry to hear that, Kujou-san or should I say, Nanase-san?”

Tenn felt a bit alarmed hearing someone call him by that name. He missed it though. “I guess you could call me that here.”

Tenn changed the subject. “Majabah is not a bad place, but it is a harsh world to those with low magic power. Honestly I hope your brother does not end up there.” Iori gulped. Even without any evidence pointing to it, there was still a tiny possibility his Nii-san could end up there if Tenn could get teleported here.

While the two were thinking of what to talk more, a sound of loud rumbling stomach distracted them. Tenn’s face went pink. The high school student had to cover his face with his hand because Tenn looked really cute when he was embarrassed. “Let’s get a late night meal”

Tenn followed Iori into the kitchen saying he wanted to know how people in this world cook without magic. Fascinated by cooking appliances, he watched intently. One thing he noticed though, was that Iori did not seem like a good cook.

The raven haired boy stared at the onion sternly.  _Just how do I use this..?_  When Tenn saw Iori grabbed a knife, about to cut an unpeeled onion in half, he pulled Iori’s arm. “Wait. That’s going to be disastrous to your eyes” Holding his right hand out to the onion, Tenn cast wind magic to remove all the peel and sliced it nicely in an instant.

“Unbelievable...” Iori watched in awe.

“So what are you going to do with these onions?” Tenn looked around him and did not see any other ingredients. He then looked at Iori and got his answer. Tenn giggled. “Pffffttt I see you don’t know how to cook”

Iori blushed in embarrassment. “I-I am able to do such things!”  _I never cooked! Nii-san always had the food ready!_

“Then tell me what you can make” Tenn pressed further with a smirk on his face.

Iori wished he could dig a 100 feet deep hole and jump down. “.....sandwiches”

“Hopeless” Tenn took over the cooking duty right away before they both ended up food poisoning themselves. “Teach me how to use these...machines”

Iori showed Tenn how to use the hob, the microwave and the oven to his best abilities. “How convenient!” Iori swore he could see soft pink sparkly eyes when he heated milk in microwave in 30 seconds. After that, Tenn cooked using the combination of science and magic. It was like watching a kid’s fantasy cooking TV show to Iori. They both enjoyed the nice chicken breasts with white sauce. Tenn’s cooking was on par with Mitsuki’s if not better.

~~

- **Majabah** -

Tsumugi casted magic to move the belongings in what was supposed to be Mitsuki’s room to Gaku’s. Pink glows surrounded the objects and made them float in air. “Whoaaaa” Mitsuki was in awe as he followed her down the hallway.

“That is time magic” Riku turned to Mitsuki and explained. “It is one of the most difficult to master. The name is slightly misleading. While you can cast time magic on a person to make them move faster or slower or to manipulate objects, controlling the flow of time itself is impossible.”

Riku turned his head to his butler trailing behind him. “Even Gaku cannot move this amount of objects at one time.” Yes, the lord did mean to tease Gaku and it worked. The silver haired man bit his lip and let out a little ‘Grrrr’. When Mitsuki laughed, he shouted “Magic takes a lot of physical and mental strength, a brat like you would never be capable of such thing!”

Tsumugi placed everything neatly on one side of the room. Gaku sighed. He did not think he would ever have to share a room with a disrespectful commoner. “Ri...Nanase-sama, I don’t get it. How-"

 Gaku suddenly punched Mitsuki’s face with full force, making him fall to the floor. The short boy landed hard on his bum. “When are you going to learn to bend on one knee and bow your head when you speak to Nanase-sama!?” Tsumugi started panicking seeing Gaku was being violent. "Yaotome-san!"

Riku hardly ever gets angry. This time he had enough. He had been yelling at Gaku all day today and he was tired of it. Seventeen blue orbs surrounded his body which was a sign that he was casting powerful magic. The butler gasped and cast protection magic on himself. It was useless. Riku opened his palm in front of Gaku’s head and instantly, Gaku was frozen into an ice cube. Then the redhead cast a strong wind magic which blew Gaku out of the room, destroying the sliding doors and sending the butler to the far wall somewhere as they could hear the sound of ice breaking.

“Phew” Riku sighed in relief before turning to smile and sat down cross legged with Mitsuki. He touched Mitsuki’s face and casted healing magic. Tsumugi excused herself from the room and ran to Gaku. “We have around 10 minutes before Gaku recovers from the impact. What was your question?”

Mitsuki had never been so terrified before in his life. It was even more scary than when Gaku pointed a shuriken at him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...I'm updating because I feel so lonely (yes I'm shameless) lol enjoy~
> 
> RIP Gaku >/////<


	5. Settling in 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Majabah: Mitsuki receives more explanation and first training. Riku just wants to do stuffs but....  
> Silica: Iori doesn't trust Tenn then....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thursday 10AMish desu and it's update day! Hope you enjoy this~

- **Majabah** -

Mitsuki was confused as different people seem to be capable of using different types of magic, but what if someone were to be in need of magic skill they did not have for basic operations? For example, when Riku was about to have asthma attack, if Riku himself did not cast wind magic then would Gaku need to run out of the room to get someone else to cast it? Seemed awfully inconvenient for a world with ‘magic’.

“Ahh I understand” Riku smiled at his new friend. “Each person is born with a different aptitude for magic. For example, us Nanase is the strongest at black magic, but we are required to learn other types of magic as well”

Riku stood up as he thought it was best to show it to Mitsuki. “The basic types of magic most people are required to learn to survive are Black and White.” Riku snapped his finger and a small flash of lightning struck outside. “Black magic are mostly elemental. Fire, lighting, water, earth and ice count as black magic.” The lord made an ice rabbit figure and handed it to Mitsuki. It was actual ice. So Gaku really was frozen solid just now. Yipes.

“You have already seen a number of white magic in action. It is for healing and protection. Strangely, wind and light elementals count as white magic.” Riku sat back down, still beaming. “Then we have more advanced types such as time magic” The redhead cast what seemed like a ball of darkness in his hand. Being curious, Mitsuki reached his hand towards it and found out it was a void as his hand disappeared in it. He quickly retracted his hand in surprise. Riku was certainly amused.

“People take these magic skills and develop their own speciality. You can see for yourself in town.”

Mitsuki was getting excited. He still felt quite scared, but curiosity took over his heart more than anything. One question remained in Mitsuki’s head. “So how come Yaotome-san can’t cast wind magic if it is one of the basics?”

“That” Riku tilted his head in a cute way and put his index finger on his chin. “remains a mystery. The Yaotomes have been experts at white magic for generations. From what I know, Gaku is traumatised by something in the past that I do not know of.” His eyebrows dropped a little with worry.

Speak of the devil. About a minute later, Gaku came back to his room with one of the guards assigned to fix the door his lord destroyed. Riku stood back up just before Gaku reached them so Mitsuki would not be in trouble. “I trust you know not to treat our visitor terribly by now, Gaku?”

Gaku bent down on one knee and bowed his head like usual. “Yes, my lord” Getting frozen solid was painful enough, getting thrown into the wall and stabbed by ice shards was even worse. He was lucky Tsumugi was there to cast healing magic on him, otherwise he might have been in serious trouble as his whole body was bleeding and felt numb.

Riku walked to the front of the room. “I originally planned to take Mitsuki to town. Although, evening shall come soon. Perhaps tomorrow morning is better. Gaku, take him to the barracks.” With that, the young lord left the two to bond. Riku had something he wanted to take care of that evening.

~~

- **Silica** -

“School?”

Iori nodded. He had told Tenn that he is a student and needs to attend his school everyday. Well, it would not be a problem if Tenn knew how things work in this world, but he literally just got here that evening. Iori did not feel safe to leave him on his own, even inside the house.

The school boy had no choice. While he hated to bother people, he video called Yamato hoping to get some advice.

“Yo, Ichi what’s up?”

Yamato was of course having a can of beer in his hand. Tenn stared intently at the screen, again, fascinated by the technology. “Oh, a friend?” Yamato noticed an unfamiliar face and asked.

“Here’s the thing...” Iori tried very hard to explain the situation. Yamato’s mouth dropped. “Oi, Oi seriously?” He did not want to believe it, but when Tenn cast a mini fireball in his hand, Yamato almost fell off his couch and send his can of beer flying.

Iori explained that he needed to go to school tomorrow and said he could not just leave Tenn on his own. Yamato thought for a while before shouting “Ryuu, come here for a bit?”

“What is it, Yamato?” Ryuu came to sit beside Yamato. The tall man with brown hair noticed two young boys in the video call. “Oh hello, are you Iori-kun and Mitsuki-kun? I heard about you sometimes from Yamato” Yamato then explained the situation to Ryuu. To everyone’s surprise, he listened and took it in without questions. “Ah, I see” He smiled at Tenn and waved. “I am happy to take Tenn-kun out for a city tour.”

“Is that really okay with you, Tsunashi-san?” Iori asked again and Ryuu just laughed and nodded. He seemed like a kind man. “Of course! I usually work at night anyway.”

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke works part-time in the pub as a bartender, but actually, he is a powerful programmer who has created several applications for large companies, including Yamato’s space distortion machine software. Yamato never knew how Ryuu survived working in a pub as he is good looking (not being biased) and tends to attract women. Ryuu is absolutely clueless and hopeless when he is around them girls.

After the plan was arranged, Iori took Tenn to his brother’s bedroom. He pointed to the small grey device placed on the wooden table. “That circular thing is an AI assistant. Order it to turn off the lights, set an alarm or ask about weather. It can do many things. Just say ‘Kinako’ to wake it up”

Tenn quite liked the room. It was simple and clean. As he looked around, Iori said “I’m off to bed. I will need to be up early tomorrow but you don’t have to be. Tsunashi-san will come near lunchtime so just let him in when you hear the doorbell.” With that, Iori left Tenn on his own. Tenn ended up spending half of his night talking to the AI Kinako. He wanted to check out the TV and speakers but his eyes refused to stay open.

~~

- **Majabah** -

“Pick your weapon”

Gaku led Mitsuki into another large wooden room. On the left hand side, there was a long wooden rack with different kinds of weapons including spears, swords, kunais, shurikens, bows and many more.

“....what?” Mitsuki looked at Gaku expecting some sort of explanation on why he was taken here and why he was told to pick a weapon.

“Ugh why must I explain everything? Gaku rolled his eyes. “We mainly use these to hunt for food but there are times we need to defend ourselves.” Gaku swiftly took a shuriken out of who-knows-where and pointed at Mitsuki’s right eye. Mitsuki gasped. “I have a sacred duty to protect Nanase-sama with my life.” The butler put away his weapon, still staring at Mitsuki.

“...huh?” Mitsuki still did not quite get it. Gaku sighed “Our lord is showing his great generosity towards you. It is his wish to ensure that you are able to survive our world should anything happen.”

Gaku walked towards the weapon rack and picked up a huge spear. “Magic means uncertainties. Many have lost their lives or their mentality trying to achieve their goals” He spun the long weapon then stabbed it to the hay dummy nearest to him. “You may encounter people who mean harm to you.”

Mitsuki gulped. He had never seen these weapons in his life, let alone hold them. His body started trembling from fear.

“Do not worry” To Mitsuki’s surprise, Gaku touched his shoulder as reassurance. “While Nanase-sama wishes for you to learn the basics, you can choose your own path afterwards. There is no pressure.” Gaku inspected the doctor’s physical features. “I think a greatsword or a spear would be to heavy for a small person like you. Try something light.” Mitsuki’s eyebrows twitched a little hearing the forbidden word ‘small’.

Gaku picked up a small throwing knife and handed to Mitsuki. “Try this” He went behind Mitsuki, grabbed the shorter boy’s hand and showed him how to hold it. The knife had some weight in it despite its small size. It was perfect for throwing. “Throw it at the dummy in front of you”

Mitsuki threw it like a baseball, making the knife spin 180 degree vertically and not pointing straight at the target. It landed nowhere near the dummy.

Gaku let out his loudest laugh ever. “Interesting. VERY interesting BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA”

~~

Riku’s movements were very limited due to his severe asthma. Normally, he would be sitting down in his room in the evening trying to keep steady breaths, but since Mitsuki made him the miracle medicine that afternoon Riku felt like he wanted to do something. Sure, Breathing was still a little difficult but it was nothing compared to what he had endured everyday for years.

Riku followed the recipes Mitsuki wrote to make more of his powder for the ‘inhaler’ and drinking medicines. When two maids chatting happily together stepped into the kitchen to find Riku, they gasped and quickly kneeled down to bow. “P-Please forgive us for s-sudden intrusion my lord!”

Riku felt sad seeing them so terrified of him. “Rise. Come in. Do not mind me.” The redhead smiled at them but they were too scared to notice his sincerity. The poor Riku decided to turn his back to the kitchen counter and continued working on his medicines before leaving the kitchen.

The lord got the similar reaction when he stepped into the dining room where the butlers were preparing the table for dinner. He only wished to help but it seemed it would be better if he was not there.

Back to his room, Riku sat down on the sofa and started to cry. Even if he did not try to burn the mansion down, people still feared him just because of his last name. Other than Gaku, and now Mitsuki, he could talk freely to no one else. Tsumugi was stiff around him. Most people outside of mansion do not know how he looks so perhaps he could have gone outside and make friends. Then again he was never well enough to do so. Plus, Gaku would panic if his lord were to suddenly disappear.

~~

- **Silica** -

Tenn only had three hours of sleep when he was woken up by a strange smell. He rubbed his eyes. It took him a minute to register that it was a smell of smoke which woke him up immediately. He sprang out of bed and ran out of the room.

Iori was running left and right in a panic. “W-water! Fire blanket! Where is it?!? Oh no. Oh no!” Soon, an extremely loud fire alarm started.

“What’s going on?!?” Tenn ran to Iori and shouted while covering his ears. When he turned his head to the right, he got his answer. In the kitchen, something in the pan was on fire. “What the..!” Tenn quickly ran towards it and cast water magic to put it out, leaving only smoke coming from the hob.

The fire alarm did not stop, making the sprinkler on the ceiling activate. The two young men ended up soaking wet in their pyjamas. It took around good three minutes for the alarm to stop. Tenn’s ears were still ringing.

Iori flopped to the kitchen counter and had to lean his back on it to keep standing. “I’m saved...” When Tenn demanded an explanation, Iori sat in Seiza, looked down to the floor and admitted he was trying to make pancakes for breakfast. Tenn facepalmed. “And you said you don’t trust me in your place...”

“I’ll make breakfast. Do you need packed lunch too?” Tenn sighed. Iori quickly looked up. However, the first thing he saw was EVERYTHING underneath Tenn’s light translucent soaking wet pyjamas. Iori’s face went red “AHHH GO GET CHANGED FIRST NANASE-SAN!!”

Tenn looked down to find his frilly clothes became a see-through. “WAHHH!!” He casted object manipulation magic in surprise which sent Iori flying to the other end of the room.

Sitting shyly at the table, Tenn casted white magic to heal Iori’s bruises and scratches from the impact. “Sorry...here’s your food” He handed a bento box for Iori to take to school. Iori was also embarrassed with the fact that he almost burnt down the whole house. The high school student left after saying a quiet thank you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The types of magic here use the idea from Final Fantasy series ^^  
> and lol Iori can't cook for life. He also can't deal when things don't go as planned.   
> There's not much going on atm I know I still hope it is an enjoyable read
> 
> If you want to message me to chat or anything @kenarkrsun is my twitter and @gamerhamsterkenar is my IG ^^


	6. To make a Living

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit more about Riku's life.  
> Mitsuki and Tenn after spending a bit of time in strange worlds started to wonder how they can make a living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Past midnight so its Thursday == update day enjoy!

- **Majabah** -

Mitsuki was on the ground, panting heavily from an hour of harsh weapon training he received from Gaku. He got to try all sorts of weapons, even the heavy ones. Throwing knife was the best one he could wield. Well, he was still hopelessly terrible at it.

“Enough for today.” Gaku sighed. “Unbelievable. You did not even hit a single target.” The butler shook his head and started to walk away. “You are free to do as you like for the rest of the day. Dinner should be ready soon” Gaku waved and left the room, heading back to his lord’s side.

Riku’s room was relatively large. It had a king sized bed on the left side of the room with a translucent white curtain around it for privacy. There was a door in the back leading to his private outdoor natural onsen. Two large sofas and a low table were in the middle of the room, where Riku was sitting down, crying.

Riku’s eyes widened when saw a shadow behind a sliding door and heard a familiar voice. “Nanase-sama, it’s Yaotome Gaku.” Riku wiped his tears with his hands before resting one of his palms on his chest to steady his breathing. He did not expect Gaku to slide the door open so soon.

“Who gave you a permission to enter!?” Riku shouted angrily, slightly panicking. Gaku was taken aback by it. His lord never minded his presence except for when he was upset. He rushed to Riku’s side and kneeled before him. “My deepest apologies. Are you unwell, Nanase-sama?”

“Sit here” Riku ordered his butler to sit beside him on the sofa. Gaku paused for a moment before replying “I cannot, Nanase-sama” Gaku denied. As a butler he was not allowed to be on the same 'level' as Riku.

“Why all of you must act so distant?!?” Riku stood up and lashed out at Gaku. “All you servants ever do is bow before me! Never had I asked for it. I only wish to talk yet you listen only because I am your lord!”

Gaku bit his lip. Having grown up with Riku, he knew how much Riku hated the highborn-lowborn system, yet there was nothing a simple butler and a young lord could do. Majabah had been operating in such a way for generations. Gaku was already the boldest out of all the people. Being able to speak his mind to the lord of Majabah was already an achievement.

“My lord” Gaku looked at Riku even though he was not supposed to. “We only wish to show our respect.”

Riku sat back down, no longer looking at Gaku. “And I only wish for a friend. Is that so much to ask for?”

Gaku froze hearing so much bitterness from a reply. Perhaps it was because Mitsuki appeared and associated with his lord so casually that Riku felt even more lonely than before. Not knowing the best course of action, Gaku rose and moved to sit beside Riku. He kept his head low. “Excuse my rudeness, my lord.”

“I thank you” Riku sat quietly beside Gaku. He was satisfied with the first step Gaku took.

~~

- **Silica** -

“How do you earn money in this place?”

Ryuu and Tenn sat in a small cafe near Iori’s house. It was where Tenn learned people here did not use rings as money like in Majabah, but a ‘plastic’ card to make purchases. He also saw some people use 'paper' as money which surprised him. Ryuu explained that those were not just any drawing paper and  said he will take Tenn to open a bank account after their lunch. Immediately, Tenn as a boy who survived on his own for three years, asked about how to make a living.

“Ahahahaha Shouldn’t you get used to the place first?” Ryuu laughed while waiting for their orders to come.

“I can’t very well rely on the kid forever. I need to pay for my own things, find somewhere else to live and repay him, right?” Tenn said with a serious face. He hated owing people and he genuinely wanted to repay Iori for his kindness. 

“You are a good person, Tenn-kun” Ryuu kept his sweet smile, adoring a young man in front of him. Tenn blushed and looked away. “Is that something you say to a person you’ve just met?”

“It’s quite hard to think of a job that does not require science background...hmmm” Ryuu thought hard when the waitress came to serve them beef burgers. Even a painter in Silica is required to learn concept of physics to produce realistic piece of art. Ryuu thought it was ridiculous and he was not the only one. Ryuu was about to bite into his burger when he stopped half way. “Ah!” His sudden shout surprised Tenn. “Tenn-kun, can you sing?”

“...so random” Tenn waited until he swallowed his last bite. “Probably” The former noble used to sing for his bedridden little brother when he had the chance. It made Riku happy. No one else ever complimented him though so he was not sure. No one but Riku and Gaku really acknowledged his presence in that mansion.

“Maybe you are cut out to be an idol!” Because Silica is such an academic world, not many kinds of entertainment exist. Younger people are getting bored and so entertainment businesses are the only thing that do not involve science and is on the rise. Ryuu inspected Tenn's face and figure before smiling nodding in approval. “I know a senpai who can give you some advice!” Ryuu suddenly got so excited that Tenn could not continue to eat his burger. It was easy to see that he was into music. In fact he had developed several programmes as music composing tools.

Ryuu showed Tenn around more for him to learn survival skills before taking him back to Iori’s. The programmer managed to arrange a meeting for his senpai and Tenn. Tenn was not sure how he felt but he certainly did not mind the idea of entertaining people. He would get all the attention he never had in the past and he craved for them.

Iori was already home since it was 6PM and Yamato did not need him today. The boy was doing his homework at the dining table. Normally, Mitsuki would be sitting opposite to him and looking up some videos to further develop his skill as a surgeon. Iori never used to talk during his study time, yet he felt so empty at that moment with his Nii-san missing. Well, until Tenn took Mitsuki’s usual spot. “What are you doing?” He stared at the school boy.

“Homework. Do you need anything, Nanase-san?” Iori answered without looking up. He wanted to just focus on his work so he did not have to think about anything else.

“I want to listen to some music, where can I go?” Tenn did not waste a moment to start his research about ‘idol’ and music. He wanted to know what people here usually listen to. What kind of instruments do people use? 

“Just ask Kinako. I am afraid I cannot recommend any songs since I don’t usually listen to music.” That baffled Tenn. “Kinako can sing...?” Iori facepalmed hard. “No, she can play songs sung by an artist or a singing synthesiser that are pre-recorded. Same concept as a ‘movie’, Nanase-san” Iori smiled a little. Curious Tenn came off as adorable to him.

Seeing Iori was busy with his work, Tenn asked “Will I disturb you if I listen to some now?” Iori said he didn't mind. It was actually getting too quiet anyway. Immediately, Tenn’s attention was drawn to ‘pop’ music. He really enjoyed it. The beats were fun and catchy. The magic user how such sounds were arranged. Decided he could not just stand still, Tenn started dancing, letting himself get lost in the music.

Iori looked up when he heard the sound of moving footsteps. It was that moment when he dropped his mechanical pencil and let his mouth hang open. His heart was captivated by the beauty of an angel before him.

~~

- **Majabah** -

“You must let me accompany you, Nanase-sama!”

Riku was about to take Mitsuki to town when Gaku came dashing after them. The lord turned back and sighed. “Gaku, I thought I have said no escort is necessary” Gaku insisted saying he could never be sure what may happen to his lord during the time. No, he was not being paranoid. Majabah really was a 'magical' world with several uncertainties.

The stubbornness of both the lord and the butler was high. The two were staring into each other’s eyes for a whole minute. Riku was the first to back down. “You leave me no choice, Gaku.” Gaku was about to rise when he thought his lord gave him an approval. 

Dark violet orbs surrounded Riku’s body. “...!” Gaku’s eyes widened. Before the butler could do anything, Riku cast time magic on the butler's body, making Gaku unable to move.

“Let’s go, Mitsuki” Riku turned to smile at the shorter boy, took his hand and dragged him forward. Gaku was frantically shouting for the two, but he could not do anything else. Not until time magic wears off. The one Riku cast probably would last around 20 minutes.

“Nanase-sama! Nanase-sama! GOD DAMN IT!!!”

~~

Riku acted like a bird being set free from a cage. He skipped and hopped around town, which was surprisingly only a 10 minute walk away from the mansion. Mitsuki had thought the mansion would be somewhere isolated. Well, he was wrong. It was just protected from outsiders by a large barrier the super maid Tsumugi put up.

“Uwaaaaah Mitsuki, look! They are crafting candies!” Riku’s eyes sparkled as he checked out one shop after another. "Ahh! And those! Those ice bars look absolutely adorable!" The lady who was making animal figure ice bars smiled and waved at the two boys when she heard excited Riku's voice.  

Mitsuki laughed seeing Riku being his cheerful and childish self. “HAHAHAHA Riku! I’m supposed to be the one excited here”

“But” Riku hopped back to Mitsuki and pouted. “I hardly ever got out of the mansion...and I never had anyone to hang out with either...” He became pretty sad. Seeing a quick change in Riku’s expression, Mitsuki touched Riku’s shoulder and smiled “C’mon let’s go, sheltered princess!” It made Riku’s eyes went wide before he beamed “Yes!”

Mitsuki learned a lot of things. The streets in town were made of bricks which were crafted by alchemy. It was the closest process to science they had in Majabah. The streets, main or mini, were packed full of different kinds of shop. People used different kinds of magic to do their job such as perfectly controlling the power of fire to make decorating glass figures. Potion makers use natural ingredients found in the wild and mix them in a cauldron. Some kids were sparring with each other using wooden weapons and magic skills.

Even though the plants here were mostly similar to Silica’s, some animals looked different. As in, they were no ‘fantasy beasts’, just that physical features were a little ‘off’. Rabbits had fluffier and bigger tails. Ravens were the size of the robins. Everything was fascinating to Mitsuki. He thought Iori would question every single thing in this place (but would definitely jump in to cuddle the rabbits when no one else was in sight.)

The lord and the doctor took a break at one of the small cafes in the narrow alleyway. Mitsuki hesitated to order as he had no golden rings - this world’s money, so Riku took over and ordered two sets of proper brunch plus a kettle of warm rose tea. The food at that place was average. Mitsuki thought he can cook a lot better. The problem was, he couldn't do it here without magic.  _Come to think of it...is Iori doing okay? I’ve never seen him in the kitchen much._

“Ne, Riku” Mitsuki ate a little more slowly when his mind was heavy with thoughts. “What sort of job do you think I can do? Can I really learn magic?”

Riku suddenly stopped raising a tea cup to his mouth and gave Mitsuki a hurt look. “Eh? I-Is there something wrong?” Mitsuki stuttered.

“Mitsuki, are you thinking of leaving my mansion?”

Riku’s facial expression changed completely. When Mitsuki looked at those sad, begging puppy eyes, his heart was overwhelmed with guilt even though he did nothing to be blamed for. “W-What? I can’t have you pay for my things right?!” Mitsuki quickly waved his hands.

Riku pouted, still with an ultimate sad face. “It is true I wish for you to find your own path. However I have never said you have to leave the mansion...”

“...It is too lonely”

Mitsuki went silent for a second before bursting out into a laugh. “What is so funny?!?” Riku puffed out his cheek. He grabbed Mitsuki’s hand and cast ice magic to make an ice cube. He then pressed it on the doctor’s hand. “HAHAHAC-COLD COLD COLD!!” The shorter boy quickly pulled his hand away and checked the state of it.

Mitsuki continued to giggle after knowing it was just an ice cube. “You know, it’s funny. You have the power. If you just made me your servant, then I wouldn’t be able to leave right?”

Riku sighed before smiling. “I cannot have you turn into another Gaku” Besides, Riku did not like controlling people. He wanted friends, but not because he ordered them to be friends. Mitsuki would laugh more if he didn’t have a long lecture about ‘how to present yourself before Nanase-sama’ from Gaku last night. 

“Very well” Riku regained his lord composure. Whenever he did that, Mitsuki felt as if the person before him really was on a higher level. He hated to admit it but Riku had this truly terrifying aura. He could totally control the atmosphere around him with his act, power and emotion.

“How about becoming a Beastmaster?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a bit bad for Gaku. And childish Riku with magic power + his stubbornness is scary. 
> 
> And lol I managed to slip in idol bit ahahahaha ^^'
> 
> For those who also read My Crown (I don't know how else I would reach you lovely readers since there's no 'announce' feature on Ao3). I must apologise as I might not be able to update for a while. As for this fic, I still have another chapter pre-written. After that I might need to take a pause. Sorry! ><'


	7. Progression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn meeting some more people and more TennIo  
> Majabah: after visiting the town, Mitsuki decided he needs to knock some sense into the butler Gaku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Screw the update schedule lol enjoy another chapter!

- **Silica** -

"...What?"

Tenn stopped dancing when he noticed he was being stared by the young student before him. Iori could not be blamed. Tenn's movements were beautiful and flowing so nicely it would be rude not to watch.

Iori coughed to regain his composure. "Sorry, your dance was great..." He then picked up his pencil and pretended to resume working when his mind was everywhere else. "Why thank you" Tenn smiled lightly before continuing to dance for a while longer. Perhaps it was a good start to his 'idol' career.

\--

"Re:vale"

"Huh?" Tenn looked at Iori in confusion when the boy suddenly said a strange word during dinner.

"Nii-san used to listen to them a lot. Maybe you will like them." Iori then asked Kinako to play their latest hit song 'Mikansei na bokura". Instantly, Tenn came to love that song. He asked Kinako to repeat and already, he started singing along. Iori was just putting food in his mouth when he had to slow down as he noticed Tenn's voice was also as angelic as his dance.

"You...are talented, Nanase-san"

Tenn blushed hearing a complement from a guy who did not seem like the type to be easily impressed. "T-thank you" Tenn had never got many praises. He appreciated Iori's comment.

~~

Tenn walked into a dimly lit bar, almost knocking into a large pillar in the middle of the place since his left eye could not see. He was not used to estimating distance with one eye yet. The boy kept walking to the counter where Ryuu was working as a bartender. A man with shoulder-length blue hair and another with short silverish hair were talking with Ryuu. Since it was pretty early for clubbing, there were no other customers.

"Ah Tenn-kun!" Ryuu waved to Tenn as soon as he noticed the pink eyes. The brunette smiled then introduced the two men. "This is Ogami Banri-san and this is Yuki-san. Together they are the famous idol Re:vale!"

Tenn's eyes widened when he heard that name. He really liked their songs and spent his evening listening to their album. "Kujou Tenn. Nice to meet you both." Ryuu proceeded to explained that Tenn 'got into an accident' recently and 'lost all his memory'. He was not a good liar so he turned his back to Yuki and Banri, pretending to wipe some wine glasses. Only Iori knew about Tenn's blindness so it was not revealed.

"Fufufu how bold. Wanting to step into a cruel business world without any memories." Yuki turned around and looked at Tenn with his neutral face. "My advice, forget about it."

Tenn was taken aback. He frowned. "Yuki! Be nice" Banri looked at his partner disapprovingly "Sorry, Tenn-kun, Yuki is not very good at talking. He did not mean-"

"Oh but I did" Yuki cut Banri off. Tenn was not the type to be affected by those words. Maybe a little, but he was used to it. "Well then, why don't I show you what I can do?" Tenn smiled to indicate that he accepted the challenge from Yuki.

The magic user stepped backwards to find a large room space. He signalled Ryuu to put some music on. Then, he began dancing. Yuki seemed disinterested at first, but soon he leaned forward to watch every move. Ryuu and Banri were in awe just like Iori from last night.

"Hmph" Yuki took a sip from his cocktail. He finally smiled. "Isn't that great?" It was a real compliment. Banri then told Tenn he would need to keep an eye out on internet for auditions. The four were chatting happily. Night came and the club got busy before they knew it.

~~

- **Majabah** -

“Beast...master?”

Mitsuki stopped eating completely. He was intrigued by what Riku said. “What is that?”

“I originally planned for you to learn magic but...” Riku started explaining everything from the beginning. “It is dangerous to both mind and body, especially for a person with hardly any aptitude for magic.”

“I went through some records last night to find the right art for you to learn. And Beastmaster is the one.”

Riku explained that Beast mastery is a very ancient art where a person called Beastmaster befriends or controls animals in the wild through the power of songs. For some strange reasons, people who can use other types of magic cannot become a Beastmaster unless they learn the art before picking up those magic. This means, it is likely that the current Majabah has no Beastmasters.

“Wait!” Mitsuki leaned forward. He liked the idea of befriending an animal. Think how he could summon a horde of fluffy rabbits to surprise Iori, the idea was awesome. However...”Okay I get the idea but I don’t get how it will be useful?”

“Hmmm? Oh” Riku looked like he had forgotten to say something. “Do you realise that animals have powers similar to magic?”

According to the lord, animals have magic power in them but only a very small number can use them. In the olden days, Beastmasters tamed animals and brought forth their powers. It was pretty surprising to Mitsuki but he had already been surprised too many times since yesterday.

Riku got out of his ‘lord’ mode and rested his chin on both hands. “With those animal powers you are free to do anything. You will still need to hone your combat skills in case the animals or people try to harm you. Uwaaaah!” Riku’s eyes suddenly went sparkly. “I would love to see Mitsuki on a dragon’s back one day...” Riku seemed to be picturing a cool orange haired boy on a long white legendary dragon. Unfortunately, they say dragons went extinct centuries ago...

“Ahhh but” Riku panicked slightly when he woke up from his dreamland. “I do not intend to force yo-“

Mitsuki quickly stood up from the table and shouted excitedly. It seemed Riku was not the only one imagining the fantasy stuffs. “It sounds totally cool! I want to do it! Please teach me!”

~~

Mitsuki and Riku just got back to the mansion from their trip to town. The lord told Mitsuki to meet him in his room in half an hour so the doctor decided to make a stop at his room to rest his legs.

Mitsuki slid the door open and was met with an unexpected sight. “Fwah?!”

A topless man stood behind his closet in the middle of the room. His lower body was covered with a white towel. It seemed he just had a steamy hot shower. The man looked totally hot with nice muscle and a tall feature but...

his whole body was full of burn scars.

“What are you staring at? Never seen a man naked?” Gaku huffed when Mitsuki just stood still and did not enter the room.

“Oh..sorry” Mitsuki closed the door behind him. “That...must have been painful huh?”

Gaku took out his butler uniform and started dressing up. “Did Nanase-sama tell you?” Mitsuki nodded slowly. He could not take his eyes off those red scars, not until he saw pain in Gaku’s eyes. “I failed to protect my lord”

“What do you mean, Yaotome? You saved him right?” Mitsuki was confused. Before he could asked anymore questions, Gaku shouted. “My lord has always been going through much pain!! He had to endure harsh training from high lords despite his frail health. He was prevented from associating with Tenn.” Gaku sat down after he was done getting himself armed. He slammed the floor with his fist. “My lord always cried. I couldn’t do anything. My lord still cries. As a lowly butler, I can’t do anything!!”

Mitsuki put his hands on his waist and frowned. “Then start doing something” He did not mean to be rude, but he felt the need to knock some sense into this strict butler. Gaku looked as if he was about to kill Mitsuki. The young doctor simply stared back. “Listen, I only got here yesterday. I get the idea of how this world works though. Riku might be a lord, but he is still a person who needs love and attention! He is a kid who lost his parents and his brother. Do you have any idea how happy he was in town today?”

Mitsuki understood the pain of losing someone dear to him. The time he and Iori lost their parents, Mitsuki was suffering, but he felt hurt even more when Iori cried. Seeing Riku in a similar situation without anyone by his side made him sad. The fact that he tried to take his own life should have said it all.

Gaku was in rage. No one had to say it to his face. He understood Riku’s feelings more than anyone else. He stood back up and grabbed Mitsuki’s shirt collar. He argued back “Do you think I didn’t know that?!? And it’s Nana-“

“Oh cut that crap, Yaotome!” Mitsuki used all his strength to push Gaku away. The butler hardly budged though. “It’s because you are like this. It upsets him! I get it, tradition and all BUT if you are truly his butler, won’t you go against everything for your lord?.” Mitsuki refused to back down. During those hard times, he would do anything for Iori to make the boy happy. Gaku was the only one with that power here, especially when Riku was the sole lord.

“Then ‘the hell am I supposed to do huh?” Gaku spoke, though frustratingly, he did listen to Mitsuki’s words.

“Just be his friend. Starting now. Worry about the rest later.”

~~

Mitsuki was given a thick book on Beast Mastery when he met Riku. Obviously no one knew the art so Mitsuki would have to teach himself. Although, Riku, Gaku and Tsumugi would be able to provide some guidance on some points. Mitsuki spent the rest of his day studying.

Gaku made his way to his lord’s room that night. He paused to take a deep breath before announcing his presence and entering the room. Normally, he would never disturb Riku at night except when the lord had trouble breathing.

The butler could not believe he actually took Mitsuki’s advice. While he hated to admit it, he never liked Majabah extreme tradition about highborns and commoners.

Riku looked slightly pale sitting on his sofa, perhaps from extra walks and excitement today. He stopped drinking his green tea and gave a reserved smile to Gaku. “What is it?”

_Shoot._  Gaku froze on the spot. He came without preparing any excuses beforehand. The butler was sweating internally. Riku tilted his head in confusion when Gaku did not answer. “Is something wrong?” Gaku remained speechless so Riku started to panic. “U-um Gaku? Is it about this morning? Or Mitsuki? Is there a problem in town?”

Gaku was bursted out of his frozen mode when he noticed Riku’s breathing got somewhat louder. “My apologies, Nanase-sama.” He approached Riku and went on one knee. “I simply...wanted to have a chat with you, my lord” Gaku’s cheeks had light pink blushes on them. He was way too honest to come up with a lame excuse.

“Eh?” The lord was quite shocked. This was new. Riku put his hand on his chest and sighed in relief. “Ahh you had me worried for a minute there...” He then gave Gaku his real smile, which the butler found to be blinding. “Very well. Sit next to me, Gaku” Riku stayed composed. Both the lord and the butler would have to learn more about how to act around each other if they wanted their relationship to change. Gaku went to sit next to Riku without rejecting this time.

“Did my lord enjoy your time in town?” Gaku started. Riku got up and went to the kitchenette to pour some tea. “Yes. You should come next time. That is, if you promise to walk beside me.”

Gaku’s eyes widened. It meant Riku wanted him to act equal to his lord. “My lord...” Gaku swallowed his argument when he thought of his conversation with the doctor. “I understand”

“I am happy to hear” Riku walked back to the sofa and handed a cup of tea to Gaku “Here, your tea”

Looking bewildered, Gaku took a cup from his lord’s hand. “You made tea for your servant?!?”

“Mou Gaku it’s fine!” Riku pouted while flopping into the sofa. It seemed he was letting his childish side come out and using informal speech. Riku sure adapted faster than Gaku. “I don’t understand how you can call Tenn-nii by his first name but not me”

Gaku looked away, taking a sip from his tea. “That was high lord’s order” Tenn was a ‘disgrace’ to the family as said by his parents so he was not treated as a Nanase.

Riku sighed thinking about his twin. He became fidgety as he spoke his mind. “You should do this more often, you know, being your true self around me”

_My ‘true’ self._  Gaku was not too sure how he would act if he wasn’t like this. As a Yaotome he had always had to act proper. He was trained strictly by his father, Yaotome Sousuke, whom he hated. The high lords also used to punish him harshly if they saw anything inappropriate from the butler. Gaku bit his lip when he realised how right Mitsuki was. He bowed his head to Riku to hide his facial expression. “If that is my lord’s wish, I shall try”

~~

- **Silica** -

“Here click on this, it is a browser. Uh..click twice, Nanase-san. Quick double click...oh my head hurts...”

Iori had never thought he would be stuck with teaching someone how to use a computer. EVERYTHING about it, from using a mouse, touch-typing to browsing the internet and using software. The high school student had been teaching Tenn after school and his part-time job every late evening. Iori had to facepalm around 10 times a day. Tenn struggled with typing quite a lot at the start as he lost part of his sight.

In return, Tenn cooked delicious meals, made cute decorated desserts, cleaned the house and most importantly, sang and danced for Iori everyday. The aspiring idol’s performance could take away all of Iori’s fatigue in an instant. Even better, Tenn could cast some magic such as floaty blue water or bubbles while dancing to make it look like a special effect.

“Nanase-san, I don’t understand why you were disowned. You seem capable enough with magic. Or is it normally much more powerful?” Iori asked Tenn who was approaching him on the couch.

“I worked extremely hard to get where I am now. Riku’s magic is probably 10 times stronger.” In fact, Riku’s magic could probably destroy an entire town if he went all out. Tenn sat right beside Iori and set down two cups of rose tea on the low table. “My parents don’t appreciate it.”

“Is that why you are seeking attention?” Iori asked bluntly, making Tenn blush lightly before looking away. “S-so what if I am..?”

Iori smiled warmly. “Don’t worry, you have my full support.” He took a little pause “Since I have been teaching you things anyway, why not let me help schedule your practice?” The magic user turned to look at Iori in surprise. “You mean...you will be my manager?”

“Yes, well, I guess until you find and sign a contract with an agency”

While Tenn did not know of Iori’s reasons, he decided to accept. He had deemed Iori to be an organised and proper, just the way he liked.

“Make me a superstar, Izumi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to keep a balance between Silica and Majabah but since Silica is kind of similar to our real world, it's hard to write when things are 'common sense' so I hope you like explanations from Majabah's side.
> 
> Finally Gaku took you long enough to make a move huh? You can't lose to Tenn you know? Ehehehehe~
> 
> If you want to contact me, obviously on wattpad there's a message feature but for those on ao3 or hate Wattpad chat inferface 'gamerhamsterkenar' is my IG and 'kenarkrsun' is my twitter ^^ (my twitter is an abandoned mess tho)


	8. The start of Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn started spoiling Iori and so Iori returned the favour  
> Majabah: Tragedy struck a village by the sea

- **Silica** -

Yamato sighed loudly as he let body flop onto a lab chair. His neck rested on the back of the chair. Energy was only leaving his body. Iori put his head on his palm at the lab table. The two scientists had been researching about Mitsuki’s whereabouts and ‘Majabah’ and unsuprisingly found nothing. All other researches were halted as this one took priority.

“Nii-san...” Iori felt like he was losing all hope. Yamato was trying his best to console the younger boy but he himself was also discouraged. They just needed a single small clue and they would be able to begin their search properly.

“Welcome home, Izumi” When Tenn saw Iori’s sad expression, the magic user knew it was another day of failure. Tenn set the cups of warm milk with honey down on the table before going to grab Iori’s arm. “Come with me”

Tenn led Iori into his room and sat on the bed. He signalled for Iori to sit down next to him. “Nanase-san?” As soon as Iori sat down, Tenn reached his hand up and patted Iori’s head gently. “Fwah what ar-“ Iori was taken by surprise at first. A few seconds later he stopped flustering and welcomed the contact.

It was a mutual benefit. Tenn wished he could do this to Riku, telling the boy that he loves him no matter the circumstances. Back in Majabah, touching Riku’s head would mean death sentence to Tenn. As for Iori, he missed the times Mitsuki gave him head pats whenever he was proud of his perfect little brother.

They both lost their brothers and that tied them together.

Tenn had started earning money by performing in pubs. Since then he had been spoiling Iori. When he saw Iori’s eyes glimmering while staring at the cat cafe, Tenn pulled the boy’s arm and dragged him in. “N-nanase-san, I don’t-“

“Oh you do” Tenn spoke teasingly and told the staff they needed a table for two. “You’re just one big Tsundere, Izumi” Iori went totally red. Even his poisonous tongue could not find words to counter Tenn. That day, Iori’s cool and sharp image was destroyed by the fluffy cats inside the cafe. Those furry critters also warmed Tenn’s heart. If Mitsuki was there, he would keep snapping pictures of Iori trying to lure cats with toys. Seeing as Iori was distracted, Tenn went to the counter to buy a cat treat, which was a yellow thick liquid loaded in a stick. He went behind Iori, tore open the treat and shoved it in Iori's hand. Within 10 seconds, Iori was surrounded by 14 cafe cats crying and cuddling his body. Tenn smirked before stealing Iori's phone and snapped pictures of the 'golden moment'.

Iori thought Tenn’s kindness was unnecessary and even said it to the magic user. Then again, the scientist accepted any offers and opportunities presented before him. In return, Iori showed his gratefulness passively. The other day Tenn saw an amusement park advertisement on TV and he was clearly intrigued. Iori acted disinterested but he silently went on his phone to buy tickets online. The next morning, the two rode the train out of the city to that amusement park. "Isn't today is my day off according to your plan, Izumi?" Tenn asked, not having any idea where the manager was taking him. "It is, Nanase-san" Iori said no more. 

Tenn acted composed upon arriving at the massive park. “Why did you take me here, Izumi? I have no interes-“

“Oh you do” Iori cut Tenn off the same way Tenn did to him. “You’re not very honest, Nanase-san”

Tenn’s cheek was flushed pink before he argued “You of all people have no right to tell me that” He huffed. “Well...can we go in now?”

Tenn grabbed Iori’s arm and dragged him here and there inside the park. As mentioned before, the park was huge. It was a good idea that Iori and Tenn got here in the morning. Tenn was fascinated by the attractions especially the extreme ones like roller coasters. Iori found himself looking at the adorable Tenn more than his surroundings. Tenn laughed when Iori freaked out and screamed loudly when they went on a ‘tower drop’ ride. (Actually, Tenn was so tense he could not make a sound.) Iori had to sit on the table with his head facing down on it after going on a roller coaster right after getting off the 'pirate ship' ride. The boy was starting to regret taking Tenn here. At this point, Tenn was too thrilled to feel the tension from the rides. 

“Aren’t you a little kid?” Iori turned around to tease Tenn when they were on a haunted house ride and Tenn screamed when a massive obviously fake spider dropped from the ceiling. As soon as Iori turned back to look forward though, he let out a super loud ‘AHHHHHHH’ because a ghost suddenly appeared out of no where. “Who is a little kid now?” Tenn giggled.

The two took a break from all the thrilling rides and got on the slow Ferris wheel, the biggest one in Silica. The two sat opposite to each other. They did not say anything until their carriage got about half way up in the sky. “Izumi Iori”

“What is it Nanase-san?” They boys were staring at each other with their neutral faces. Something felt different though. Iori felt slightly uneasy. Tenn probably did not know but Ferris wheel was said to be one of the most popular spots for 'confessions'. Wait, what was he thinking?

“Thank you” Tenn looked away. He said the words so quietly they almost went unheard. Iori sighed a little before smiling. “It’s fine” 

“You know” Tenn went back to staring at Iori again. Iori thought it was too early to feel relieved. “I used to think of you as my brother’s replacement.” Iori’s eyes widened. It should have hurt but somehow it didn’t really. Tenn continued. “Back in Majabah, I was separated from Riku most of the time. He was such a sweet kid. I wanted to take him to places, buy him things. I wasn’t allowed to do any of that. Riku was the next lord. I was an unwanted servant.”

Tenn closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “So when I see you being lonely, I couldn’t help it. I wanted to act like a big brother. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for my own selfish reasons.” Tenn bowed his head to Iori lightly. “I’m sorry”

“Nanase-san”

Iori reaches his hands to grab Tenn’s shoulders, making the older boy look at his face. “If you are guilty, then I am too. When you appeared, true it was shocking, but I couldn’t help thinking that I won’t be alone. You can’t replace my Nii-san, but at least I won’t be lonely. If you think you were using me, then I was using you too.”

Tenn looked away. “How is teaching me things and coming up with my practice routines using me?”

“Then how is dragging me to a cat cafe, making me the best desserts and putting on spectacular shows using me?” Iori returned a question with another. He smiled lightly.

Tenn finally gave in. “Fine” He looked away and smiled. “Let’s go to dinner after this”

~~

- **Majabah** -

“Heading to the forest again, Izumi?” Gaku thought he was always the first one to wake up in the morning, but ever since Riku gave Mitsuki the book about Beast Mastery two weeks ago, the butler always woke up to find Mitsuki already geared up and ready to head out. The doctor had been visiting the forest nearby, in the opposite direction of the town. There were a lot of animals in that forest full of large evergreen trees.

Mitsuki was armed with throwing knives. His skill with it improved very little even though he was trained by Gaku every evening. The butler was baffled by how bad Mitsuki could be at handling weapons (need I remind you that he was a surgeon in Silica??). He hoped for the boy to never have to face anything dangerous during his Beastmaster practice or he would have to deal with his lord crying.

10 minutes after Mitsuki set off, Gaku heard a rush of footsteps while he was getting ready. His room door was suddenly slid open without any notice, which annoyed Gaku. “Oi! Mind-“ The butler choked back his words when he saw the one who opened the door was the familiar redhead. “N-Nanase-sama?” He quickly went down on one knee. “My apologies-”

“Save those words, Gaku! There is trouble.” Riku spoke while panting. “Lightning struck the village by the sea. There were over a hundred casualties.” Gaku’s eyes widened in shock. Riku was just as shocked when Yaotome Sousuke’s messenger rushed to the mansion and requested an urgent audience with him. “How is that possible!? How could a simple lightning hit the whole village?” Gaku questioned.

Riku put his hand on his chin, making a thinking pose. “It was not a natural occurrence for sure. Then again no magic users should be capable of causing a tragedy of this scale” He then shook his head. “This can wait. Gaku, prepare a carriage at once!”

Tsumugi was in charge of looking after the mansion. The lord and his personal butler got on the carriage in order to get to the village. Gaku cast time magic on the two horses that pulled the carriage to speed them up. The journey took them 20 minutes.

“...! This is terrible!”

Riku was stopped by Gaku when he was about to step out of the carriage. The whole area was full of ashes and smoke as the lightning burnt every single thing in it. It would be bad for Riku’s asthma. Corpses were everywhere on the ground, completely burnt. There was no sign of survivors. The village that was once full of life and beautiful sceneries was wiped out in an instant. “I cannot...believe it. Everything was destroyed...” Gaku pushed the devastated Riku’s shoulders and sat him back down in the carriage. He had to. The lord was on the verge of tears. “All of my people...”

“My lord please stay inside. I shall check the area.” Gaku spoke.

“No I am coming!” Stubborn Riku spoke with his shaky voice. “But my lord” Gaku thought it was a bad idea. “Let me, Gaku” Riku demanded.

“I understand” Gaku bit his lip and bowed his head. “Please at least cover your face with this towel” Riku grabbed a towel from Gaku’s hand, covered his nose and mouth then stepped down from the carriage.

Gaku almost vomited seeing several corpses which were people burnt alive around him. The butler was surprised his lord was still holding up. Soon, an old man with short silver hair and 6 people behind him approached the two and all went on one knee. “Nanase-sama, I am afraid there are no survivors.” The old man reported after having his men checked the area.

It took everything in the young lord to not have a breakdown in front of those people. “...Understood. Thank you, Sousuke and the healers. All of you may leave. Gaku and I shall survey the area for a while longer.” Sousuke and his men simply bowed again and left as the lord commanded.

Riku and Gaku walked quietly on the dry ground. Riku wanted to hold onto hope and believed there were some people who had perhaps managed to flee. The lord could have left as soon as Sousuke made the report, but he felt the need to take responsibility. His people went through pain and lost their lives. He must shoulder some of it: the despair of the dead and the grief of the relatives of the dead. “My people. Rest In Peace”

Most wooden houses were simply piles of burnt wood on the ground. “Damn it!” Gaku kicked a pile of black wood in frustration. After a few more minutes of raging on, he went back to Riku’s side. “My lord, we should leave and plan out the village restoration.”

All of a sudden Riku’s mouth dropped. He cast time magic on himself and took off running. “Nanase-sama!!” Gaku panicked. He quickly took off after his lord.

“* _ha ha huff*_ ” Riku came to a stop at a certain spot a few metres away from where he was. He crouched down in front of a large pile of burnt wood and dirt. He started frantically digging the pile with his bare hands, throwing woods to the side. His breaths were laboured but he kept on digging.

“My lord wha-“ Gaku caught up. He would have pulled Riku back up if he didn’t see what seemed to be a finger poking out from under the pile of dirt Riku was digging. That finger still showed colour of flesh. Seeing as a person could be buried under the pile, Gaku also crouched down and dug. Using object manipulation magic would be to dangerous as they did not know what to aim at. Riku and Gaku’s hands were being burnt from touching hot wood but they both persevered in hope of rescuing a sole survivor.

What was strange was, after the two cleared away the burnt woods, underneath was pure dirt and dried soil. Under the soil buried a body of a gravely injured man. It was as if he was being protected by the ground. He was unconscious but at least he was definitely not burnt. “* _huff*_  Ga-Gaku!” Riku cast magic to move the boy out from underneath and placed him properly on the ground. “He may..be alive”

Several green orbs surrounded Gaku’s body as he cast the most powerful healing magic he could muster. The cuts and wounds on the man started to heal, meaning he was alive, otherwise the magic would not have worked. Riku felt so relived even though he was exhausted. “That is good...* _ha*_  take him to the carriage at once”

Seeing Riku sitting on the ground with his chest heaving, Gaku gave him a worried look. “I am alright, Gaku. Take him” Gaku nodded and carried the man on his back while walking back alongside Riku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who Riku and Gaku rescued will be revealed in the next chapter (by descriptions) so be patient ehehehehe~ 
> 
> Again comments and kudos are always appreciated ^^ If you want to contact me 'kenarkrsun' is my (messy) twitter


	9. Special Backstory (Majabah)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to Tenn when he was chased out of the mansion?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewlo lovely people. This is actually not a 'real' chapter but a mini backstory of why Tenn was kicked out of the Nanase household. Hope you enjoy it! This is unbeta'd and is not proofread so my bad if there are many mistakes.

- **Majabah, 3 years ago** -

_SMACK!_

“How dare you stepped into my private room before getting my permission?!?”

A young boy with soft pink hair was slapped so hard in the face that he lost his balance and fell to the ground. He would have bowed his head and apologised if there was not an emergency. “Young lord Nanase-sama is struggling, high lord!”

Nanase Tenn knew what he had gotten himself into. He knew there would be heavy consequences to his action. Glaring into his father’s, no, the high lord’s eyes was a crime, yet he chose to do so for his little twin brother, or rather, the young lord Nanase Riku. “The healer is tending to him, is she not? There is no need for you servant to come here!” The high lord roared. His anger surged.

“But!” Tenn went on his knees and begged. “He truly is unwell, high lord! Please consider calling a potion maker.” He pleaded. Anything for his little brother’s life. Riku was wheezing and coughing heavily in bed as of now. His attack was getting more and more severe despite having a healer tending to him with basic potions.

The high lord only became more irritated when Tenn talked back to him. “There is no need to inform me. Tell Yaotome.”

Tenn bit his lip.  _How is he so cold? Does he not care at all that his son is dying?!?_  “Gaku is staying by young lord’s side, tending to his needs, high lord. I do not have the authority to summon the best potion maker in town thus your assistance is required” Tenn bowed with his forehead touching the floor. Riku had been having a fever this whole week. Still, he was made to take part in his usual harsh training routines by his merciless father. Riku had been constantly casting ice magic on himself to cool his body temperature down. Not only that, he cast time magic during archery and magic practice so he would not collapse to the ground. And now, Riku’s body was suffering a recoil. Tenn definitely did not want Gaku to leave Riku’s side. He desperately needed his mental support. Riku had to survive even if it meant Tenn's life would be in danger.

“You are giving ME an order?!?” The high lord pulled Tenn’s head up by his hair, causing the boy to wince in pain. Tenn knew he must bear not. “N-No high lord. Ow! It was merely a h-humble request”

The high lord cast object manipulation magic on Tenn, sending him flying out of the room. Tenn’s back hit the hard wall somewhere on the mansion outer wall. “Tch learn your place, servant”

The impact left Tenn unable to stand up. “N-No...Riku” His whole body was hurting so much. His lower body refused to move. So he crawled. Using his fingers to dig in the garden soil and dragging his upper body forward. “Riku”

Fortunately, the high lord did summon an expert potion maker. The strongest potion barely helped Riku yet the young lord would not have made it if he did not drink it. After two days, Riku was well enough to be on his own providing he did not move around too much. Riku was in his room with Tsumugi tending to his needs, not knowing of what was happening around him.

“I have received the report on the situation. Nanase Tenn, you are to face execution for overstepping the boundary.”

Yaotome Sousuke appeared at the mansion to arrest Tenn after Tenn’s behaviour to the high lord was reported to him. Tenn knew his fate. He knew this was going to happen, but at least he had saved Riku’s life. That was more than enough for him. Tenn stepped into the carriage with Sousuke. No one had to tell him where he was being taken to. There was a place specifically for this action.

While Yaotome Gaku was patrolling the mansion, he saw Tenn stepping onto the carriage with his father. Gaku’s eyes widened in horror. The butler did not waste a moment to cast the most powerful time magic on himself and chased after the carriage which took off in high speed.

Once the carriage was in Gaku’s sight, it was already in an isolated place. Gaku cast time magic on his shuriken and threw it to cut the horses’ necks in order to stop the carriage. Yaotome Sousuke quickly stepped out to find his son to be the one interrupting the procedure.

“Idiot son what do you think you are doing?!?” Sousuke drew his sword. He was a servant of the high lord. He would stop at nothing to carry out his duty.

Gaku readied his big shuriken. “I am Yaotome Gaku, faithful servant of the young lord Nanase Riku. I am here to stop the execution in order to prevent my lord’s health from deteriorating!” The butler declared a war on his father. Riku would be devastated had he found out Tenn was to be executed. He was here to prevent that. Plus, Tenn was one of his best friend, but he had to use his lord’s name to ‘reason’ with his father.

“Very well, Gaku. Do not expect me to spare your life.” Sousuke accepted the challenge and the two stepped off the road to the open cliff area.

“No! Gaku!” Tenn slammed the carriage door several times with his fist. It was locked tight. Tenn’s magic power was not enough to crack it open. He screamed for his dear friend, and Riku’s only trustable butler.

The two butlers exchanged blows time and time again. Gaku possesses more agility and strength while Sousuke was better at using tactical magic spells. The battle depended largely on their stamina since they had similar ways of fighting.

In the end, Gaku pointed a shuriken at Sousuke’s neck. Just when he raised his hand about to slash the old man’s neck, 8 whirlwinds emerged from the ground, completely surrounded Gaku’s body.

“Arrrrgghhhhh!!!” Gaku screamed in pain as the strong gusts of wind cut his arms, legs, and body like a Samurai sword. Gaku’s body parts went flying out of place. Blood were spilled everywhere throughout the area as his body was slowly being blended alive.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Tenn let out his loudest scream. A yellow glow of light surrounded his body. Power was being poured out of his body in a form of an aura. The magic lock on the carriage was destroyed. Tenn’s body floated upwards. Light yellow ring expanded from his body and engulfed the area in bright light. Whirlwinds completely disappeared. It was then Gaku lost his consciousness.

“Nggghhh” Gaku’s eyes twitched.  _huh? I’m still alive?_  He sat up to find himself fully clothed and with all his body parts still intact. Gaku checked his body. “H-how?”

“Dispel magic” Gaku quickly jumped on his feet when he saw Sousuke standing right next to him. The man’s eyes was not on him though. It was on Tenn who lied face down on the ground. Sousuke walked towards Tenn, so Gaku immediately followed.

“Dispel is regarded as the most powerful magic of the entire world” Sousuke touched Tenn’s back of the head and started to cast healing magic on the boy. “It can destroy any magic and undo some of the consequences of that.” After healing Tenn, he turned to face Gaku. “No wonder why this boy was thought to have little magic power despite being a Nanase. His true strength was power by everyone including himself.”

“Old man” Gaku bowed to make a request with his shaky voice. “Please...don’t kill him”

“Gaku” Sousuke sighed. “We both lost the battle. Go back to the mansion. Inform the high lord that the execution is done.”

“...!” Gaku quickly lifted his head in shock. “Father, what...?”

“Should the boy discovered his true strength, he would return as a lord” Sousuke pulled the necklace Tenn was wearing. “Hand this to High lord Nanase. Nanase Tenn is now declared dead.”

“Father....” Gaku was at a loss for word as he accepted Tenn’s necklace.

“Go now Gaku”

“Yes, father” Gaku bowed deeply to Sousuke in gratitude before taking off.

_That day, my lord Nanase-sama cried so much I could not leave his side. And that was by telling him Tenn was cast out of the mansion. Only the high lord was informed of the ‘execution’. Only my old man and I know the truth. Even though we were not able to locate Tenn after the high lord’s passing, I knew he was still out there somewhere. And I swear until Tenn and Nanase-sama could reunite, nothing shall harm my lord. I shall protect him even if I am unable to cast wind magic, even if it costs me my life._

 


	10. Strange behaviour, strange power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn had got good news to tell Iori, but how did the boy take it?  
> Majabah: The survivor was terrified when he woke up. He bumped into Mitsuki and...

- **Majabah** -

Mitsuki’s singing voice filled the part of the forest he was in. Light breeze was blowing through, making the leaves sway like they were enjoying Mitsuki’s sweet voice. The young doctor put his whole heart into his song, unaware of the tragedy in the village. The songs written in the book had to be sung perfectly to draw out their power and reach the heart of the animals. The Beastmaster must also clearly set their motive and concentrate fully.

The purpose of the song Mitsuki was singing was to call small animals to him. Ever since Mitsuki started practising, he had never managed to attract one.

“Myu?”

Well, not until now.

Mitsuki finished his song and opened his eyes to find what seemed to be a pink fluff ball with long ears. It had very short legs and a mini poofy bunny tail. Mitsuki stared in awe for a while before his o shaped mouth turned into a wide smile of pride. “No way...I did it! I called a...rabbit?”

“Here, come here!” Mitsuki hummed a quick tune. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of small food pellets. Tsumugi helped him make them by following the recipe in a book. The scent from those was said to calm the beasts. There were several different recipes for different purposes such as amplifying the beasts’ power or charming the toughest ones. Most of the advance recipes could only be crafted by getting help from animals.

The rabbit curiously stared at the pellets in Mitsuki’s hands. “Myuuuu?” It slowly moved in step by step. Finally, it sniffed the pellets before eating them. “Myu! Myu!” It jumped up and down excitedly.

“It is sooo cute. I can’t wait to show Riku!” Mitsuki petted the rabbit’s fluffy fur. His eyebrow dropped a little. “Although, the fur is bad for his asthma.”

“Right! I will need to go back and look up what this creature can do.” Mitsuki was totally hyped. He couldn’t wait to find out what sort of magic this ‘rabbit’ can cast. “Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow. Make sure to come out when I sing okay?”

“Myuuuuu~!” The rabbit replied and disappeared into the deep forest. According to the book, once the Beastmaster befriends each creature, some sort of a ‘pact’ is formed and the Beastmaster will be able to call for that particular creature again. Moreover, the pact improves the success of calling other creatures of the same species.

“Tsumugi-chan!!!” Mitsuki pretty much ran back to the mansion. He was so excited to tell the news. However, that excitement quickly faded when Tsumugi walked towards him with a frown on her face. “Mitsuki-san...” The doctor was shocked to hear about the horrible tragedy. At that time, Riku and Gaku were still at the village. No one at the mansion knew about the man they found yet.

~~

- **Silica** -

“Anesagi Productions...”

Tenn stared at the business card in his hands while walking back home after putting on a mesmerising show on the big busy street. He easily stopped people in their tracks especially when entertainment was much needed in such an academic world.

A certain lady (or a man?)...Tenn had no way of knowing by looking at her appearance or listening to her voice. Her bright pink hair was easy to spot among the crowd when she walked forward confidently to approach Tenn.

“Hello, charming boy, are you interested in becoming an idol?” She handed Tenn her business card. “I am Anesagi Kaoru. President of Anesagi Productions oh! And for the longest time...” She started letting more of her feminine voice out “I’ve been looking for a star like you!”

“Well thank you” Tenn kept his perfect composure and acted professionally even though his heart was pounding from excitement.

“Give me a call if you are interested okay?” An audition will be held soon so you’d better be quick” With that, Anesagi took her leave. She sure was fast at getting straight to the point.

~~

Iori open the door to his own home and found himself drawn in by the sweet smell of dessert being baked.

“Tadaima.” He shouted and set his bag on the table. As expected, he found Tenn singing and dancing in the middle of the living room while waiting for the roll cake to bake in the oven. The older boy used light magic to create kirakira sparkles, which added to his attractiveness.

“You have improved a lot, Nanase-san” Iori complimented after Tenn finished his song.

“Partly thanks to your guidance and management, Izumi” Tenn wiped off his sweat with his towel and smiled gently.

“Couldn’t you have dropped the ‘partly’ part?”

“Now, now you can’t have all the credit. I’m the one putting on a show here.” Tenn winked and that was enough of a fan service for this high school student. The magic user used the opportunity to get close to Iori and showed him the business card he got earlier today. “I was scouted.”

“Anesagi Productions?” Iori inspected the details on the card. He wished he could help verify if this was legitimate with his limited knowledge on entertainment industries. “I guess if they are holding an audition, it is worth a try.”

Tenn was left standing still when Iori walked away to the kitchen to grab some water after that line. He felt disappointed. He could hardly wait to tell Iori the news earlier and that was all the attention he got? Unacceptable. Tenn kept his straight face and normal voice to hide his bitterness. “Is that all you have to say?” Ironic when the sentence was full of it.

“Ah” Iori stopped drinking water. “Congratulations...I guess? You still have an audition to do though.”

“Hmph fair enough” Tenn looked away, not noticing how Iori looked at him with a pair of sad eyes.

Iori was a busy person. During the time when he had to teach Tenn about common sense of this world, he was hoping for it to be over. He had school, homework and his part time job. Now that Tenn started to settle in properly, not counting special occasions like going to cafes, the two had been talking less. Iori secretly enjoyed being Tenn’s ‘manager’ as at least they were having a conversation. If Tenn successfully became a part of Anesagi Productions, the older boy would have his own manager, meaning he would no longer need Iori.

Tenn could easily leave after debuting and getting paid. The two would have no other reasons to talk to each other.

Why did this thought hurt Iori so much?

~~

Tenn carefully put fresh cream on the roll cake while Iori went to take a shower.

_Something is off._  Tenn thought. Iori and him never talked much, but Iori was acting strange. First, he would always sit on the table and do his homework or revision. He did not even touch his school bag today after setting it down. Another point was, while the boy had tried to hide his excitement, Tenn knew Iori was always eager to eat his deserts. Tonight, the high school boy seemed disinterested. When Tenn asked, Iori insisted he was only tired. Lastly, he was taking an unusually long shower.

Tenn wanted to let it slide and ask the boy tomorrow. However, “Nanase-san, I’m not feeling too well. I’m going to bed early.” pissed Tenn off. “Tch, if you’re going to lie, do it properly” Tenn mumbled when Iori closed his bedroom door.

The magic user finished off decorating, cutting the roll cake and putting it in the fridge. He went to his room to get his pyjamas and toiletries. On his way to bathroom though, he could hear a strange sound coming from behind Iori’s door.

It was a sound of a person crying.

~~

- **Majabah** -

On the way back to the mansion on the carriage, Riku took off the rescued man’s clothing and used a wet towel to wipe off all the dirt on the body. The man had a similar body size to Riku except he had a short dark hair with white highlights. The redhead did not give an opportunity for his servant to do the job. “Why is he not waking up?” Riku spoke with a worried tone. He sounded like he was about to cry from experiencing the downright depressing scene today.

“Nanase-sama...we did all we could” Gaku was trying to console his lord. “White magic can heal wounds but not fatigue. He is perhaps too worn out.”

Riku shot Gaku his teary eyes before he ended up burying his face in Gaku’s shoulder. It took Gaku by surprised. “* _sniffle*_  Gaku...* _sob*_ ”

If Riku wasn’t a lord, Gaku would have hugged the boy, or patted his head. He could only remain still. After a while, Gaku lost to his own heart. He gently and very carefully touched Riku’s shoulder as a reassurance. “My lord, please let this humble servant take some of your burden and share your pain”

Riku cried even louder. The good thing was...it meant he was not bottling his feelings up.

As soon as Mitsuki saw a carriage arriving at the mansion, he ran to Gaku who was carrying an unconscious, almost naked man. Mitsuki’s doctor instinct ordered Gaku to set the patient down in the nearest room and proceeded to do the check ups to his best ability. Both Gaku and Riku were watching intently. After a few minutes, Mitsuki turned to smile at the two. “He should be fine when he wakes up...physically anyway” The three frowned. The man must have witnessed a disaster, or possibly a massacre happened in front of him. They left him to rest quietly. Mitsuki went to the garden to read the Beastmastery book on his own while Gaku and Riku were discussing about restoring the village. Well, they weren’t even sure  _how_  to restore the area yet since all the people were...wiped out.

~~

“ _gasp!_  Wh-where!?!?”

The man quickly jumped up to standing. His breaths were rapid. He looked at his own body to find he was wearing a different, much more fancy clothing made of expensive fabric (again crafted by the super maid Tsumugi). “What are these...? Noble clothes...?” He gasped when the memory of the tragedy hit him. “No...No..! Subaru-san. Suzuki-chan. Shizuka-san. They’re all...!”

“NOOOOOO!!!!” The man slid the door open violently, almost destroying it and dashed off into the decorated garden. Panic rushed through him as his eyes could only see a beautiful village going up in flames. The man forced his eyes shut and kept running. Soon, he felt a strong impact on his body. He had bumped into someone. Hard. The man himself fell onto his bum. “Owowowowow”

“Ow....” When the panicked man could grasp his surroundings, he saw an orange haired boy on his bum. “Watch where you are going geez!” Mitsuki scolded the man before even looking at him. “Oh wait, hey you are awake!” He immediately stopped frowning and smiled at the man.

Sadly the survivor seemed to be extremely terrified. He was under the impression that he was being attacked. Who could blame him?

“Hey calm down” Mitsuki noticed that the man was hyperventilating. “You’re fine. You’re safe.” Mitsuki slowly got up and offered his hand to the villager, but the man ended up crawling backwards in fear. “No don’t hurt me please! NOOOOO!!!”

“No, no I’m just trying to help. I’m not hurting you” Mitsuki put both his hands up to show he had nothing on him, forgetting that Majabah was a world of magic. Magic users did not need weapons to hurt people.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!” The man was not in a state where he could process those words. He screamed again, very loudly, and it was as if the plants in the garden could hear him. The grass in that small area started growing rapidly. The rose bushes behind Mitsuki were branching out non-stop. Those branches quickly surrounded Mitsuki’s legs before making their way up to his waist. Those were strong, thick and thorny branches.

“What the..ow!” Mitsuki looked around himself to find he couldn’t move. Because if he did, the thorns would cut or stab his body. The small rose bushes were turned into a wall of tough branches. The ones that surrounded Mitsuki’s body did not stop growing. They were growing up and wrapping loosely around Mitsuki’s shoulders now. “ow ow please stop!” Mitsuki shouted when some of the thorns cut his skin.

Because of the man’s loud scream earlier, Gaku and Riku came rushing to the scene. “W-What is this?!?” Gaku came to a stop when he saw the walls of extremely overgrown roses. Both Gaku and Riku were even more surprised when the cut grass turned into knee-high long wild grass.

“HELP!!”

Mitsuki’s yell woke the lord and the butler up from their train of thoughts. Gaku quickly cast fire magic on his shuriken and chopped of the branches surrounding Mitsuki’s body, but they kept growing back rapidly. “What kind of sorcery is this?!?” Gaku used time magic on himself to cut faster, but it did not help.

Riku locked his eyes with the trembling survivor on the ground. “No, no...” The man’s eyes were full of fear. Riku decided he needed to act. It was only logical that the villager was the one causing these plants to grow wildly. After all, no one in the mansion had the ability to do so. In fact, Riku did not think he would ever meet a person capable of this power in this era of Majabah. He raised his hand and cast time magic to stop the man’s action. Bingo. The plants stopped growing so Mitsuki was rescued. Gaku was tending to Mitsuki’s wounds when Riku looked down sympathetically to the survivor who was unable to move. “Tell me your name”

Somehow, to the villager, Riku had a warm and seemingly kind aura around him. The man found him to be beautiful, angelic even. The noble attire with several embedded gems added more to his beauty. He was glowing, even without a smile on his face. Finally, the villager was able to find his voice. He took a deep breath and replied

“Sunohara Momose, sir”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww Iori what's going on? ><
> 
> And yay the survivor is Momo! He seems capable of some sort of unusual power fufufu....and yea just a (bitter) reminder - Yuki and Banri are in Silica, not Majabah so....
> 
> I have no draft for next chapter so please bear with me ^^' Ehehehe~ Again if you want to contact me or anything @kenarkrsun is my Twitter acc.


	11. "Audition"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: will Tenn and Iori manage to talk?  
> Majabah: More about the survivor, Momose

- **Majabah** -

“S-sir” Momose stumbled onto his knees and bowed his head deeply to Riku. Gaku and Mitsuki went to Riku’s sides, bending on one knee. “I’m so so sorry. I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt him. P-please-“

Momose was clearly shaken. He was a commoner incapable of using magic, making him an easy target for insults and abuses from the highborn. Momose was an orphan, found as a baby near the village by the sea. None knew of his lineage. Even when people treated him terribly, Momose’s kindness did not disappear. He helped everyone whenever he could.

Riku cut him off. “Sunohara, raise your head.” Momose slowly looked up. He gasped when he saw Mitsuki and Gaku bending down by Riku’s side. Momose thought the red haired guy must be on a very high level in the society since he seemed to be served by other nobles.

“If you truly did not mean to harm my guest then apologise to him, not me.” Riku spoke in a calm, lord-like manner which made Momose feel more at ease, strangely. The nobles he had met all acted like scums who enjoyed boasting about their power and influence. Momose immediately turned to Mitsuki. He apologised and bowed endlessly. Mitsuki said it was fine. He wasn’t badly hurt and understood why Momose would be so afraid after all that happened to him.

“Very well.” The lord finally gave a reserved smile. Momose found it to be pretty. “Now, it seems you have turned my garden into quite a...fantasy” Riku walked towards the wall of roses, almost tripped because of the knee-length wild grass. Gaku’s swift reaction saved his clumsy lord from falling. Even though the branches were thick and thorny, the red roses were oversized but elegant.

Momose looked like he was in a pinch again. “...I-I can’t...turn them back” He dug his fingernails into his palms.

“Do not worry. I did not expect you do.” Riku turned around and gave that reserved smile to Momose again. The lord walked towards the kneeling villager and offered his hand. Momose took it and stood back up. Gaku signalled for Mitsuki to rise. “You are a Geomancer, am I correct?” Riku asked Momose. The villager seemed confused. “Geo...mancer?”

Riku shrugged his eyebrows. It indicated that Momose did not know what he was capable of. After all, Geomancy was similar to Beastmastery in a way that they were both forgotten ancient arts used by non-magic users. A Geomancer can control nature to a certain extent using the power of songs.

Momose explained that he had never managed to figure out how to handle his power. It seemed to run wild whenever he felt something strongly. It had always caused trouble to people such as turning a small calm river into one full of waves.

He was trembling. “I-I sensed something just before the lightning hit our village. It was such an uneasy feeling that I lost my power control, making the ground underneath me open up and swallow my whole body. After that I heard a super, super loud thunder and everything went black.”

“What a miracle! Your power protected you!” Mitsuki spoke. Both him and Gaku were amazed to hear what happened. Momose learned he was saved by Riku and Gaku so he thanked them several times.

“There must be a way to control and make use of it.” The butler turned his head to his lord. Gaku saw Momose as a golden opportunity. Some of the herbs needed for making Riku’s medicine do not grow in Winter. A Geomancer may be able to make them grow instantly regardless of the season. Since Riku knew about Geomancy, surely he had records on them which Momose could study from. Still, Gaku was different from Sousuke. He would never force Momose to do something he did not wish to do even if he could use his authority.

Riku couldn’t read Gaku’s mind but he could tell that his butler was interested in the villager’s ability. “Sunohara, I am sorry you had to go through such a horrible tragedy. While this may not be the time, what do you plan to do from now on?”

~~

- **Silica** -

Instead of heading to the bathroom, Tenn came to a stop in front of Iori’s bedroom. The scientist was clearly crying. It wasn’t loud but Tenn’s hearing was sensitive enough. Tenn placed his hand gently on the door handle.

He took a deep breath. “Here goes”

Without knocking, Tenn opened the door and walked inside, heading straight for Izumi’s top bunk bed. Luckily the room wasn’t locked or it would be terribly awkward.

“Nanase-san?!?” Iori did not have time to dry his tears. His cheeks were still slightly wet and his eyes were a bit swollen. Tenn climbed up the ladder and sat on the edge of the bed without hesitation.

“Why are you crying?” Tenn demanded answers.

_It’s because of you!_  “I’m not-“ Tenn glared at Iori’s face and cut him off right away. “There’s no use denying it when your face is wet. Tell me. Now.”

Iori remained quiet. The younger boy tried to avoid Tenn’s gaze. Tenn huffed. “Look, Izumi” He gave up trying to make an eye contact with Iori so he stared at the basic white wall in front of him instead. “I know this isn’t about your brother.”

“...how?” Iori asked with his shaky voice.

“It’s obvious, kid” Tenn let his leg swing in the air. “I’ll move out as soon as I have enough money. Then I won’t be a bother to you anymore. Of course I’ll repay you for all you’ve done to me.”

Iori froze on the spot. His eyes went wide. He ended up looking at Tenn with a surprised face of his.  _No that’s not it at all!_  Iori thought, but he failed to find words in his messy mind. He wanted to say something. Anything. He needed to tell Tenn he was thinking the opposite. He wanted Tenn to stay.

“Well then, Izumi, have a good night”

When Iori did not object, Tenn climbed back down and left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Tenn let the water from the shower hit his face fully.  _I have been travelling for three years and never have I stayed in one place for longer than a week. I’ve stayed here for over weeks. It’s normal to have some feelings of attachment._  Tenn tried to tell himself it was only right to leave. This was not an inn, it was a stranger’s house. A stranger who did not want him here.

Somehow Tenn did not want to believe it.

Tenn put his chin down and stood under the water for a good 10 minutes.

~~

The air became awkward around the magic user and the scientist. Both of them continued their daily routines without really saying anything much to one another. They had dinner together every night in silence. The only times they talked were when they exchanged their greetings.

One morning, Tenn added extra lines to his greeting. “Good morning, Izumi. I’m going to an audition today. I just thought I should let you know.” With that, Tenn went back to his room to get ready.

Iori had the same surprised face as that night.  _audition..._  That word sent reality to smack his face. It was a painful reminder that Iori only had a limited amount of time to clear up this misunderstanding...

before he lost Tenn.

Tenn left home before Iori. The high school student went to grab the packed lunch on the kitchen counter before leaving.

3 hours in school and Iori could not concentrate at all. The teacher even called him out for spacing out. Him. The perfect high school student. His mind was picturing the day Tenn would turn his back to him and walk away.

All because he was too afraid to say what he thought.

Tenn was sitting on one of the chairs near to several other aspiring idols who came for an audition. He definitely came prepared and focused. He was a man of talents after all. Those talents shone even more with Iori’s management and analytical skills.

Tenn shook his head. True, he was definitely focused enough to do his audition, but the name Iori came to his mind from time to time during a quiet and uneventful moment such as waiting.

_What's with that face? It was just like the other night._

“Kujou Tenn”

Tenn stood up and walked confidently forward to the staffs who called for him.

_Well, there's no turning back now._

The next class was about to start for Iori. Students were finding seats in their classroom. Iori was already there, but he was very restless.

_It felt like that day._

“Have a safe trip, mom, dad.”

Iori recalled the day his Nii-san and him waved goodbye to their parents who were going away on a vacation. The parents hugged their sons before saying “Be good okay boys? I love you both”

“I love you too mom, dad!” Mitsuki shouted and smiled happily. Although, Iori remained quiet and hid behind his brother.

If Iori had known it was the last time he could express his love to them, he would have said it a thousand times.

Iori suddenly slammed his school desk before standing up. He hurriedly packed away his stuffs and bolted out the door. His teacher was on their way in the classroom. Iori only bowed and took off running like a mad man.

_It’s not going to happen._

_I refuse to let it happen!_

~~

- **Majabah** -

Momose stood in front of the lord in his thinking pose. He thought long and hard. There was nothing left for him at the village. He had nothing valuable on him except for the power which he could not control. Finding jobs has always been the biggest challenge for Momose. He no longer had a home to go to and would definitely be in danger sleeping outside.

The villager looked up nervously at Riku, Gaku and then Mitsuki. They all were waiting for answers yet they had no demanding aura around them. Momose could be very wrong. What if they saved him because they had hidden evil intentions? What if they were just pretending to be forgiving?

_No._  Momose shook his head internally.  _I should be grateful for these people._

Then the reality hit him hard.

_I should be grateful, but...but...I don’t know what to do!_

“Sirs!” Momose took a deep breath and shouted. “Please take me as your apprentice! I really wanna learn magic! Or..or learn to use this Geomancy...thing. In return, I’ll do anything you ask please!” He begged with his puppy eyes.

The wind was blowing in Gaku’s way, huh?

Gaku took a step forward. His scary face was enough to make Momose feel intimidated. “I am afraid that will not do.”

The villager’s heart sank. Guess he would have to go back to the harsh world after all.

“Oi don’t give me that look. I'm not done talking.” Momose’s shocked face made Gaku feel bad.

“None of us knows Geomancy” Riku explained. “So you would have to study on your own from a book we have.” The redhead smiled.

“Does that mean...?” A light of hope was shining through Momose’s cracked heart again.

Gaku nodded. “You will be trained as a butler to serve high lord Nanase Riku-sama.

Momose smiled half way before freezing up.

“SAY WHAAAAATTTTT!?!?!”

~~

- **Silica** -

Iori ran as fast as he could. He didn’t care how people shouted at him for almost bumping into them. The boy just felt the need to get to the Tenn’s audition quickly. To Anesagi Productions.

Luckily Iori had researched before about where it was located. He got to the nearest sky train station and hopped on an express train.

The receptionist looked at him questioningly when he arrived at Anesagi Productions panting heavily. “Where is the audition?!?”

Iori was hit with a wave of disappointment when the female staff in front of him said it had finished a little while ago. He shook his head. “Please, I need to see someone. He might still be here.”

Seeing as Iori was desperate, the staff let him pass and go upstairs to the audition room. The agency wasn’t big at all. It just had a reception for ‘professional purpose’.

Iori’s heart was pounding hard as he approached the training room which was used for audition. He did not come across anyone in the hallway who seemed to have come for an audition. Just when he thought he was too late, someone pushed open the training room door.

“Tenn-san!”

Exactly the person Iori was looking for.

Tenn’s eyes widened when he saw the boy who had been lingering in his mind.

“Izumi Iori...”

Tenn shut the door behind him, took two steps forward when Iori walked to him and stopped right in front. His greyish blue eyes were reflecting his resolve.

“Did you pass?”

Tenn stared at Iori with a straight face before replying “Of course I did.”

“Tenn-san” Iori leaned forward a little and grabbed Tenn’s shoulder firmly, but without an intention to hurt him. “Please...don’t leave.”

“....huh?”

“Please stay with me. I-I don’t want you to leave. I...”

Iori closed his eyes and shouted

“I like you Tenn-san!!”

Iori would have looked cool if his face wasn’t totally red and if his eyes weren’t slightly teary from embarrassment.

Tenn’s face went pink after a few seconds of registering what was happening. He looked away. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Tenn was happy. Happy that Iori confessed to him, but he was still bitter. Why didn’t Iori just say it that night. Why did he leave it until now? Tenn wouldn’t have been feeling so conflicted all the time.

“I know I am an idiot, Tenn-san.” Iori released his grip. “I am sorry.”

Tenn sighed before walking past Iori down the hallway. The high school student froze seeing Tenn walking away from him.

_It's too late..._

Tenn came to a brief stop and turned his head halfway back to Iori. “Why are you standing there? Let’s go home, Mister Tsundere” He resumed walking.

“...! I’m coming!” Iori ran after him.

Tenn, being a certain distance away from Iori, muttered under his breath.

“I like you too, Izumi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IORI YOU DID IT!!!!!!! *cheers happily*  
> Again, next chapter not written out yet. But mhmm peace may not last long. Teehee~  
> If you wanna contact me @kenarkrsun is my twitter nyan nyan


	12. Cruel Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Majabah: Mitsuki had a suggestion for Riku to travel. Gaku wasn't happy.  
> Silica: What happened after Iori's confession?

- **Majabah** -

A week had passed since the tragedy struck the village by the sea. Momose was slowly adjusting to his new life at the mansion. The noble butler uniform felt strange on him. Gaku would always scold him and tell him to walk proud.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by the presence of the Yaotome and the Nanase, Momose’s skill as a Geomancer developed greatly. With his lovely voice, he was able to make plants grow, call for a small personal rain cloud or make small heated stones. He could sense the change in humidity in the air.

“Momo-san, good morning!”

Momose turned his head to the source of the voice and smiled. “Mitsuki, Morning!” The new butler felt most comfortable with Mitsuki especially after learning the boy knew no magic. Mitsuki had to keep his Silica origin a secret for the time being.

Riku watched the two talking happily from afar. He had a sad look on his face. He wished he could have a fun conversation like that with other Majabahns. Gaku was patrolling the mansion when he saw his lord eyeing the two with such sadness and a bit of jealousy. The butler sighed before approaching his lord. “My lord”

“Fwah!” Riku jumped upon hearing his name. “You scared me Gaku!”

“M-my apologies, Nanase-sama.” Gaku bent down on one knee but kept his eye contact with the lord. “Um...would you...join me for some tea, my lord?”

Gaku may be tactless at times but he certainly was not oblivious. Well, at least not when his lord had those pair of glistening baby doll eyes on his face. He knew why his lord was making a sad face and he wanted to help.

Riku followed Gaku to the butler’s room. Riku sat down on the floor in front of the low table while Gaku was brewing jasmine green tea.

“Ah it smells so nice” Riku smiled while sipping his tea. Gaku who sat in front of his lord found that smile to be adorable. He wished the people of Majabah could see that his lord was different from several other lords before him.

“Thank you, Gaku” Riku spoke after a moment of silence. “For trying to make me feel better”

“Anything for you, my lord”

~~

Gaku excused himself to return to his duties after 20 minutes. Riku was sitting by himself in Gaku’s room, enjoying his warm tea when Mitsuki slid the door open.

“Uwah, Riku?! What are you doing here?”

_Oh crap! He’s a lord. He can go wherever he pleases._  Mitsuki just realised what he had said.

“Ah Mitsuki, Gaku invited me for some tea but he had to get back to work.” Riku placed a cup on the table before turning his head to Mitsuki and smiled.

_That Yaotome._  “Hey, Riku. Are you free? I’ve been wanting to show you something!”

Mitsuki had been wanting to show off his achievements to Riku but Riku had been quite busy with formal meetings about restoring the village and his own trainings. Now was the perfect time.

“E-eh? Yes I have time, Mitsuki.”

Mitsuki led Riku into the forest he had been visiting for the past weeks. He took care to not walk too fast and chose easy paths without overgrown grass. The doctor used his throwing knife to cut down any smaller tree branches poking in the way.

They came to a stop when they reached a clearing in the forest. Riku sat on the big log to catch his breath. After a few minutes, Mitsuki began singing.

“Such passion behind his voice...” Riku stared in awe. It was as if Mitsuki was under a spotlight created by the sun itself.

“Myu myu!”

Soon, a pink fluff ball rabbit came jumping into Mitsuki’s arms. “Hey, Kinako you’re back!” Kinako was not the only one attracted to Mitsuki’s song. Other rabbits, small robins and chinchillas started gathering around the boy.

“Uwaaaah!” Riku’s eyes were sparkling. “They are all so cute!”

Riku reached his hand to try to touch one of the animals, but they all ran behind Mitsuki and gripping the doctor’s legs with fear.

“Oh...” Riku felt sad. “They fear my magic...”

Mitsuki tried to hum a tune to calm the forest animals’ nerves and to convey the message that Riku was harmless. The animals settled down and remained a certain distance away from Riku. However, the rabbit that Mitsuki named Kinako did not seem to be frightened. So, Mitsuki sat down on a log next to Riku and let Riku pat Kinako in his arms.

“Don’t get in too close, okay? The fur might trigger an attack.” Mitsuki warned Riku. If Riku ended up with a severe attack, Yaotome would surely have his head. Plus, Mitsuki was a doctor. It would double his guilt.

“Uwaaaahhh I’ve never touched anything so soft before. It is softer than cotton.” Riku blushed from total cuteness. “Why did you name it Kinako?”

Mitsuki put his hand on the back of his head. “Hehe I’m not sure actually. Kinako is the name of an AI assistant back home so”

Riku tilted his head in confusion. “AI...assistant?” He stopped petting Kinako and went into his listening mode.

“Oh...” Mitsuki was not even sure how to begin his explanation. The two ended up talking for two whole hours. Mitsuki introduced a lot of concepts which did not exist in Majabah from simple things like skyscrapers to technology related stuffs such as internet. Riku listened intently like a child who was read a nighttime story.

The air was starting to get slightly chilly which made Riku coughed a little. After it passed, Riku turned to Mitsuki. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while, thank you Mitsuki!”

_Ah.._  Mitsuki felt sympathetic. Riku was younger than him, yet his life was controlled by his family name. “I thought you would love them, Riku. A shame most of them won’t come near you but maybe next-“

“Even the animals fear me...huh?”

Mitsuki froze when he heard a sentence full of bitterness. Riku kept his smile, but there was pain in his eyes. The kind of pain Mitsuki could not bear to see.

“Riku” Mitsuki made a direct eye contact with the lord. “You said people are scared of you because of your name, your status and your power.”

“I think it’s normal” Mitsuki continued. “Like you have that bow-to-me aura around you.”

Riku’s eyes went wide. “What?” His voice came out much more demanding than intended.

“See?” Mitsuki hopped off a log to stand in front of Riku. “People can’t see who you are, partly because you were groomed to be a lord, party because you’ve never let them.”

“But..” Riku looked away. He was about to cry.

Mitsuki touched Riku’s shoulder. “You need to get out there and show them, Riku. Generosity and power can coexist. You just need to prove it.”

The redhead looked up. “How?”

“...hmm maybe a little trip will do you good” Mitsuki smiled.

~~

Gaku grabbed Mitsuki by the collar with one hand. Mitsuki was no longer fazed by Gaku doing this to him since it happened around three times a week. “Brat, stop giving Nanase-sama false hope! What the hell is with this stupid idea?!” Gaku reached for a shuriken in his other hand. He glared directly into Mitsuki’s eyes like a silver wolf ready to attack its prey.

Mitsuki argued back despite his feet floating an inch above the ground. He knew Gaku would not cut him. At least not in front of Riku who was watching the scene. “It’s not stupid! Is there a rule saying the lord can’t leave the mansion?!? Don’t you want him to be happy?!”

You see, after getting back to the mansion from a forest trip, Gaku, with his worried face, rushed to the two. “Where have you been my lord?!?” When Gaku saw Mitsuki behind him, the butler gritted his teeth in anger. Riku then picked a very wrong timing to tell Gaku he wanted to travel. Gaku did not need to ask how Riku got that idea, the butler grabbed hold of Mitsuki. There was no way Riku could travel. What about his lord duty? Well, technically Gaku, as a Yaotome, could fill in for him but he refused to leave his lord’s side. He was never letting his sheltered lord out in the wild alone. Or absolutely not with the strange orange haired ‘broken healer’. (It really touched Mitsuki’s nerves whenever Gaku called him that.)

Mitsuki’s intention was for Riku to travel and learn about the world by experience, not just by reading from books and getting reports from Sousuke and Otoharu. The doctor wanted the young lord to interact with people directly so they know they could be proud of their lord’s kindness.

True, this whole thing had nothing to do with Mitsuki as a Silican. Still, the young doctor could not stand seeing a miserable young lord whose age was as close as Iori’s. He treated people’s illness so they could be happy and Riku was his patient, but not just that. Riku was his friend. Very simple.

Mitsuki and Gaku kept arguing until Riku shouted for them to stop. “Would you two stop fighting as if I am not here!?!” They both shut themselves up, bent down and apologised to Riku as he was ready to freeze them into ice sculptures at any moment.

“I-I do want to travel, Gaku, but not alone! You are cruel to think I would abandon my faithful butler.” Riku did not care about his lord image right now. He just pouted. “Tsumugi will remain at the mansion. We shall contact her regularly. Otoharu and Sousuke will be informed of our absence.”

Gaku shook his head. It was a bad idea. “But Nanase-sama what about your health? What if you get hurt?”

“Gaku, I am aware of the state of our world. All the more reason to see it with my own eyes.” The lord bent down, his face was close to the butler’s. Riku took Gaku’s chin. “Will you not protect me?” Gaku felt totally intimidated but at the same time, he was pleased with a special treatment.

“And I can watch his health, Yaotome.” Mitsuki added. He should be happy seeing Gaku sweating but somehow he wasn’t.

Gaku was slightly taken aback. He was not fully on board with the idea. However, he knew there was no stopping his lord now. “I understand. Nothing will come to harm you, my lord.”

~~

- **???** -

“Nggghhh. My head. It hurts. It hurts so much.”

“No..No....NOOOO I’m losing it again NOOOOOOO!!!!”

“Get yourself together, Sou-chan. SOU-CHAN! OWWWWWWW!!!”

~~

- **Silica** -

“So you skipped school, and not to come to my audition but to say your lame confession to me?”

Tenn was drinking his mint chocolate milkshake while looking at Iori who was sitting on the opposite side of him, his face as red as a tomato. The two of them were at a cafe on the outside, enjoying some sunlight.

“Y-yes...” Iori could only stare at the vanilla milkshake Tenn bought for him. The whole event was so embarrassing he wished his existence was erased from this world.

“Really now, Izumi” Tenn looked away, pretending to be people-watching. “I’m glad you did...” He muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Iori straightened up.

“N-nothing. Drink your milkshake already.” It clearly wasn’t ‘nothing’ if Tenn’s cheeks were blushed pink.

Just when Iori was about to reach his hand to grab his tall glass of milkshake, his body shook uncontrollably. However, it was not just him. Everything around him was shaking. The tables, the parked cars, the buildings!

“Earthqua-Wahh!?!” Tenn quickly pulled the surprised Iori under the table. The high school boy was shocked. Earthquake had never happened in Silica District One to Three because it was located in a place where geographically, an earthquake should not be possible.

Even worse, it was not just any earthquake. The magnitude was severely high. Tenn cast protection magic to create a barrier around himself and Iori to prevent objects from hitting their bodies. Tenn held Iori’s shaking body tightly. Both boys could hear the sound of people screaming and glasses breaking. There were people lying on the ground, bleeding around the two. Tenn prayed for it to stop before he would run out of magic power.

Some small, old buildings had started to collapse. Tenn strengthened his barrier and hugged Iori tighter. They could be buried underneath the rubble at any moment and Tenn did not want that.

Perhaps the two boys had devil’s own luck. The earthquake finally came to a stop. Tenn kept casting his barrier for a while longer in case there was an aftershock.

“N-Nanase-san...!”

Both Iori and Tenn’s eyes widened in horror when they looked forward in the distance not too far from them. A tall building was falling down. Not just any tall building, Silica’s tallest building was falling like a large tree being chopped down.

CRASH

A sound of a ringtone woke both Iori and Tenn up. “Ichi, are you safe?!?” Yamato spoke as soon as Iori pulled the phone to his ear.

“Yes, me and Kujou-san are fine. Yamato-san, what about you?” Iori put the phone on speaker before answering.

“I’m safe but I can’t reach my husband at all. He said something about meeting Re:vale this afternoon at the SkySilica.” Yamato explained.

Iori almost dropped his phone.

“Yamato-san...” Iori spoke in a lowered voiced. “SkySilica...collapsed.”

~~

Tenn and Iori ran towards SkySilica, formerly the tallest building of Silica. Everything was in chaos. Ambulances and police cars ran wild in the city. The sounds of the mourning, crying and screaming were way too loud. Several buildings were now piles of rubbles. Right now, nowhere in District One was safe. Iori and Tenn arranged to meet Yamato near the collapsed building, hoping to find Ryuu, Yuki and Banri.

“Ichi! Kujou!” Yamato ran to the two. The green haired man got small cuts on several places but he was indeed okay. Tenn bit his lip when he could not use magic here in public as panicking people would start gathering around him. The barrier was a necessity plus people could not have noticed that among the chaos.

Three of them ran around together, shouting the names of the people they cared about. “RYUUUU!!” “Yuki-san!!!!!” “Ogami-san!!!!” They might not even be here, but it was the only clue Yamato had. He was too worried to just sit in the lab and waited. The lab stood tall but some of the equipment inside were damaged.

Yamato was getting more and more worried. “Oh come on Ryuu where are you?” He muttered. Tenn put a hand on Yamato’s shoulder. “Don’t lose hope. We search.” Tenn took the lead and ran. “Let’s go, Nikaidou-san” Iori touched Yamato’s arm before running after Tenn. “Right...” Yamato adjusted his glasses and took off. “Just what I need, thanks” He said to himself.

Soon, the three came to a stop when they saw a familiar figure. Yamato’s face lightened up immediately. “Ryuu!” He called out the name and dashed to his husband. “You are okay! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yamato...” Ryuu turned around to face the three. He had a grim look on his face. Not good. Ryuu was physically in a similar state as Yamato. “I am okay but...”

“Ban, Ban! Answer me Ban! Why aren’t you moving? Ban!”

Yuki was kneeling and touching the man in front of him, shouting his name frantically. Ogami Banri was lying there in a pool of blood, unresponsive. The ambulance was coming, but with the situation being so hectic, the delays were severe.

“Why did you shield me, Ban? Why?” Yuki screamed.

“Cover me” Tenn immediately stepped forward to crouch next to Yuki. Iori, Yamato and Ryuu used their bodies to hide Tenn’s power. The boy cast healing magic on Banri. Countless green orbs surrounded Tenn’s body. He was using all the power he had left to heal Banri.

However, the wounds did not heal.

“He’s...gone”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn Gaku you were doing so well *smirk*  
> and Yuki....I feel sorry for him.... 
> 
> If you wanna contact me or anything @kenarkrsun is my twitter ^^


	13. Deserved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Majabah: Riku, Gaku and Mitsuki started their travels  
> Silica: What happened after the earthquake?

_I’m falling._

_My body...I can’t move anything._

_I feel so numb._

_Ah. Everything is going black._

_Sorry, Sou-chan. I couldn’t stop you._

~~

- **Majabah** -

“This sure is a lively place”

A week later, Gaku, Mitsuki and Riku arrived in a distant bustling town with several canals running through. The bricks used to make roads in the town were white so overall, the town looked nice and clean.

The three set off in a carriage with their own personal driver. Gaku insisted it was for safety. Momose was asked if he wanted to travel. He declined the offer saying he wanted to focus on mastering his power and that someone needed to keep the decorated garden beautiful. Tsumugi was in charge of the order in the mansion. Several other servants were relieved of their duties because, with soon-to-be-powerful geomancer joining the team, the remaining general jobs were easily taken care of by the Tsumugi and Gaku.

The plan was to travel from town to town every once in a while. The three would let Tsumugi know of their whereabouts and tell Tsumugi to send things such as medicines as needed.

“Um..Gaku and Nanase-sama” Momose spoke while having afternoon tea a few days ago. “Your clothes might be...too flashy? Like they’re a total giveaway that you’re high ranked nobles.”

“Hmm?” Riku observed his own clothing before giving a confused look. He was wearing his ‘comfortable’ attire and even that, those clothes had complicated golden patterns sewn on with buttons made of carefully polished opal gemstones. “Do they? How so?”

Gaku took a good look at his lord’s clothes and for the first time he noticed those delicate details. He knew his lord’s clothes were expensive but damn, those were something else. “My lord...do you really need to ask?”

Momose couldn’t help but laugh. He had gotten much more comfortable around the two and Riku liked that. Gaku was happy as long as respect was shown to his lord. “How about you let me design your clothes, my lord and Gaku? I can’t weave them but I know Manekko-chan can~” Momo winked.

“Wait“ Gaku’s mouth dropped a little. “I agree Nanase-sama needs some new clothes but-“ He looked down. He was wearing a black suit with a white pleated scarf. The scarf had a big green jade pinned to hold it in place. It was a butler uniform, sure, except it was way to ‘extra’. “This is my pride, you know? How are people going to know I am Nanase-sama’s faithful butle-“

“Oh Gaku stop it. You may be my butler but you are to be my travelling friend.” Riku knew the uniform Gaku was wearing had been passed down on the Yaotome bloodline for generations. Of course, Gaku was proud to have earned the right to wear it. “I have been seeing you in those clothes for years. Time to change to something else.” Riku smiled.

“And and-!” Excited Momose smiled widely. “You can’t be wearing fancier clothes than our lord, Gaku!”

So at present, Riku, Gaku and Mitsuki were wearing clothes typical nobles would wear, except the designs were quite unique thanks to Momose’s creative mind.

Riku recalled one more thing. While Momose was measuring his sizes with his green vines, “Nanase-sama, it would be better if you speak casually. People will feel much more at ease.”

“Let’s go in!” Mitsuki could hardly wait to see what other towns were like.

After the three got a room booked in a 4-star inn, they went to explore the town for the rest of their evening. Mitsuki of course handled checking in as he had to give a name. “Yaotome” or “Nanase” would shock the innkeeper too much. Now, the two did not mean to hide their identities, they only wanted to blend in as much as possible.

Gaku and Mitsuki had the hardest time keeping an eye on Riku. The boy was so excited he kept hopping around from one place to another. Riku did not go in any of the shops knowing it was getting late and food was their priority right now.

“Hey how about that place?” Mitsuki pointed to a relatively large wooden, dimly lit tavern which did not seem too busy. They served both food and alcoholic drinks at a cheap price.

“Hmph not bad” Gaku nodded after reading the chalkboard menu. He then pulled Mitsuki close to him and whispered. “Stay close to Nanase-sama at all times. I doubt my lord has ever been in a place like this.”

Mitsuki whispered back. His eyes were on Riku who was watching people rowing boats along the canal. “Can Nanase-sama drink?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Nanase-sama is 18” In Silica, drinking age limit was 20, but Mitsuki knew about this difference already.

“Not that, I mean, HOW MUCH can he drink?” Mitsuki doubted such as innocent soul could survive a single shot.

“Well, from what I know my lord has never tasted alcohol. If my lord wishes to drink, we have to be on our guard.” Gaku frowned.

“Don’t you want to drink, Yaotome? I’m sure you don’t get to drink much as a butler.”

“True. I can’t deny that I crave an icy cold beer.”

“What are you two talking about?”

The butler and the doctor felt shivers down their spine when they felt Riku’s presence right behind them. Gaku quickly straightened himself. “Nothing of importance, Nanas-mmhmpphh“

“Baka!” Riku covered his butler’s mouth with his hand. “Riku. Ri-ku.” Gaku wasn’t extra loud but his normal voice was certainly not quiet. People passing by were turning to look at them.

As expected, the tavern only had a handful of customers. Since Riku’s aim was to connect with people, the three sat behind the barkeep’s counter so they could chat with the locals.

Riku went for tomato sauce fried rice with a sunny side up. Mitsuki was asked if he wanted a kid’s meal and he got so angry Riku had to calm him down while laughing at the same time. Gaku settled for the classic fish and chips.

Gaku had been staring at the drinks menu as if the piece of paper in front of him was a target. He wasn’t kidding when he said he CRAVED beer. In fact, it had been so long since he last drank he wanted everything from wine to sake.

Riku sighed. He called for the barkeep without waiting for Gaku. He ordered the food everyone wanted and added “2 pints of beer” in the end. Both Gaku and Mitsuki’s eyes went wide hearing that. They stared at Riku who was sitting on the leftmost side. Riku caught their gazes. “What?”

“Riku...are you drinking all that?” Mitsuki leaned forward since Gaku was sitting in the middle. Nice timing as the barkeep set two beer glasses in front of the redhead.

Riku smiled and Gaku’s face went pale.  _My lord, you can’t be serious._

He used object manipulation magic to move each beer glass to Gaku and Mitsuki. He then rested his chin in both hands. “It is for you two.”

“What about you, Riku?” Mitsuki asked, though tempting, he had not touched his beer glass.

“I’m alright with this tonight.” Riku lifted a glass of his orange and red mocktail to show to the two. “Both of you drink your fill. Lifting your unconscious bodies back should be easy enough with my magic” The lord hummed happily. He had never tasted alcohol before and as a lord, he did not want to get carelessly drunk in public in case someone knew his true identity. More importantly though, he knew his butler deserved this humble reward.

Gaku looked between the icy cold bubbly beer in front of him and his lord’s face. “But my- Riku I-“

“Mou Gaku, just drink it already!” Riku pouted. With that, Gaku lifted the glass and had a mouthful of the drink he longed for. The butler smiled, welcoming the bitter taste of the foamy and refreshing alcohol on his tongue.

“This is the best”

Around an two hours later....

“BWAHAHAHAHA Man this place is great! The beer here is to die for HAHAHAHA”

Gaku’s super loud voice turned heads to the three of them.

“Yao-Gaku has gotten really drunk!” Mitsuki had a pint of beer and stopped there. He was slightly woozy but still knew what he was doing. This Majabahn beer was much stronger than any Mitsuki had in Silica.

Well, Gaku had 4 whole pints. His face was red and he could hardly remain on his small, round seat without falling over. Riku’s mouth hanged open. He had never ever seen his butler acting this way.

It was rare to see Gaku smile, laugh and let loose of himself. Riku wished he could watch the guy forever.

“Seriously this guy” Mitsuki laughed and spoke to Riku. “He said we need to protect you. Now look at him. I doubt he could even stand! Hahahaha”

“Whaaaat? You said somethin’ brat?” Gaku shot Mitsuki his scariest sharp glare before going back to laughing like a mad man. For a second, Mitsuki thought he would lose his head.

“Ahaha...perhaps we should head back” Riku was calling for the barkeep to pay when Gaku shouted. “No! I want more!”

“Come on Gaku you’ve had plenty” Riku placed a bag of golden rings on top of the bill then tugged his butler’s arm. “Let’s go”

“Nanase-sama is so meannn” Gaku mumbled. He unwillingly stepped off the chair. He wrapped his arm over Riku’s shoulder and leaned most of his body weight on his lord for support. Riku almost fell over. Mitsuki wanted to help but he himself was also tipsy.

“Hmph. Calling me mean after I bought you beer. Talk about ungrateful.” Riku spoke teasingly. With that, the lord said thank you to the barkeep before dragging Gaku out the door. Mitsuki was following closely behind. Riku then used his magic to lift his butler all the way back to the inn.

~~

- **Silica** -

Tenn and Iori sat quietly on a couch with their heads down in a large living room at Yamato’s. Yuki had shut himself in one of the bedrooms, refusing any food Ryuu brought to him. It was a day after the earthquake hit District One. A part of Izumi’s house was destroyed, so here they were, staying at Yamato’s.

The TV was kept on and the only thing showing on it was about the disaster. The number of reported injuries and deaths were only rising. Yamato went to the meeting for elite scientists regarding the incident. The scientists simply agreed on running an investigation of how the earthquake happened and whether there could be another.

“Must be tough being a Regulator at a time like this” Upon leaving the meeting, Yamato turned to his old friend.

“ _Oh_  Yamato” A man with blond hair and sky blue eyes responded. Somehow, he could still smile despite having his hands tied with meetings and plans. “I am merely a figure, a person who supports the public when it is needed and a person who smiles when things are at  _peace_.” He bowed gracefully. “With the help of  _wonderful_  scientists like you, I am never alone.”

Yamato rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how you always come up with those cheesy lines. Suits you I guess, Regulator Nagi” He waved his hands and left the room.

Nagi went into another soundproof room with AI broadcasters. The automatic metallic door shut behind him.

“People of Silica. I am your Regulator, Nagi Valhart Von Northmare.”

Nagi Valhart Von Northmare held a position of great pride called ‘Regulator’. A regulator was not a lord, but a person of authority who governed Silica with the help of elite scientists, academics and AIs. Nagi watched over the operations in Silica, identified any problems and suggested improvements to be put in place. He was elected to be a regulator two years ago, yet he did not seem inexperienced.

Nagi was giving a live formal speech to let people know they were doing all they could to find out the cause, plan preventions and restore public spaces.

Another day had passed, all the rubbles were cleared out. Nagi and his team had deployed several AI units to rebuild the buildings. Within one week, Silica District One was renewed as if the earthquake never happened. However, grief and sadness remained as a painful reminder to the people who survived. Tenn and Iori moved back home, but someone remained still.

“Yuki-san”

Yamato opened the door to find a pale person curling in bed. His eyes were so swollen he could not cry anymore. “Ban...Ban...” He muttered.

Yamato pulled a chair and sat in front of the idol. “You look awful. You know you need to eat something.”

“...”

Ryuu and Yamato had been trying to take care of Yuki who had been drowning in grief. Yuki wouldn’t leave the room or ate anything, so Yamato had to buy nutrient tablets and put them in water for Yuki.

Tenn and Iori started to function normally. Tenn was contacted by Anesagi so he began his idol training while Iori returned to school.

A few days later...

“Tadaima, Nanase-san”

Iori was sitting on the couch instead of the table this evening. “No homework today?” Tenn asked while setting his duffel of stuffs down. The student shook his head in reply. Tenn sank into the couch next to Iori. For minutes, silence filled the room. The only movement was from people walking in the streets seen through the glass window.

“Nanase-san, will you go back?”

Tenn slowly turned his head to face a pale boy who was glancing at him with a pair of sad eyes. “To Majabah. If we found a way for you to go back...”

Sighing, Tenn replied. “Am I not supposed to?”

Iori bit his bottom lip.

“But if I could choose, I would stay here. Majabah is nothing but hell and my existence is never welcomed. Even with Riku there, I’m not sure how long I would last before reaching my breaking point.”

Tenn was looking straight at Iori. “For everything I did, I was in the wrong. Wrong for being born with little magic. Wrong for trying to save my brother’s life. Here, people are being treated as human beings and I am overwhelmed. Sometimes I doubt if I deserve to be treated so well like this...”

Iori could hardly stand it. According to what he had heard from Tenn, he disliked Majabah. He disliked the Nanase for not doing anything to change the system. “Of course you do. This is your life. Your birthright cannot determine your fate, especially now.” Iori touched Tenn’s shoulder and moved closer to the magic user. “You deserve to be loved, Tenn-san”

Tenn closed his eyes, breathed out and gave a little smile. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"Probably because of Yuki-san" Iori's eyes turned sad. "Ever since Ogami-san was gone, he became unable to do anything." There was a flush of redness on Iori's cheek. "So if you were gone, I honestly don't know how I would react"

Tenn raised his arm and gave Iori a gentle head pat. "Let us see if we can do anything for Yuki-san"

_I can't promise you anything, kid._   _The only thing I can show you is that we have to keep moving..._   _no matter the circumstances._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I hope the conversation in Silica's part makes sense. What the heck was I doing??  
> lol this is the second time I made someone remind iori to keep moving on in my fics  
> And Gaku ppfffttt so much for 'a faithful butler of Nanase-sama' XD  
> If you wanna contact me or anything my twitter is @kenarkrsun   
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	14. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn had an idea for Yuki. Yamato had a request to make to Nagi  
> Majabah: Mitsuki had a talk with Riku. They discovered something the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Photo below is Gaku in Fire Emblem Jacob's butler clothes ^^

\----------------------------------

- **Silica** -

“How long are you going to keep hiding in here, Yuki-san?”

Tenn stormed into Yuki’s room (or rather, Yamato and Ryuu’s spare bedroom). Iori was following behind.

“....get out” Yuki said with a straight face. He was sitting on a bed in the dark room with messy hair, thin stature and pale skin. His eyes were lifeless.

“Do you think Ogami-san wants you to end up like this?” Tenn did not spare his thoughts.

“Ban is gone. Nothing matters anymore. It’s the end of Re:vale. The end of me.” Yuki answered, not really looking at the two boys. Iori had a sad expression on his face as he was reminded of when he lost his parents. He cried so much back then. The only person who could ease his pain was Mitsuki.

And Mitsuki was now ‘gone’ too. Tenn became his next saviour. Were these kinds of attachments unhealthy? Iori did not want to think of that right now.

He did not ever want to have to think about it.

“Listen, Yuki-san” Tenn crossed his arms on his chest. “If you are saying you don’t care anymore, how about doing a favour for me?”

Yuki looked up to indicate he was partly listening.

Tenn explained. “I need a manager and I want you to fill that role.”

Iori’s eyes widened. He felt a stab in his heart. Why had Tenn never asked him even though he had been putting a schedule for Tenn’s practice all this time before he auditioned. Tenn seemed to have come prepared however. “I would have asked Izumi if he hadn’t got school and his part time job.”

Yuki stayed silent.

Tenn said with a neutral expression. He looked pretty intimidating this way. “You don’t have to be alive to do this job. Just tell me my schedule. Watch me practice. The rest I can handle.” The magic user took a few step backwards and touched Iori’s shoulder. “And I’m sure Izumi can also help, but the main job is yours”

Iori smiled a little.

“What a pain...” Yuki muttered, but he never objected. Tenn signalled for Iori to leave while they could before Yuki changed his mind.

~~

Because all the buildings were restored back to their original state, most elite scientists kept their focus on researching the cause of the earthquake. Yamato felt there were enough people working on it, so he went to the building of official personnel to meet with the Regulator Nagi.

As soon as he entered the modern-looking building, an AI came to greet him and led him to Nagi’s office. Nagi sat in the middle of the room behind his large grey desk. The room had several projected screens, showing stats of operations running in Silica. The blond told his AI to turn all of them off once Yamato stood in front of the desk. The whole room would give off a dark, official vibe if it was not for a large limited edition MagiKona plush sitting on the table, facing Nagi.

Both Nagi and Yamato were wearing suits with ties. Nagi was supposed to wear that on his job. In Yamato’s case, he wore it because he had to meet Nagi. Otherwise he would be in his usual white lab coat.

“ _Hello_  Yamato” Nagi gave a little smile. “What brings you here today?”

“Hey Nagi” Despite wearing those formal attire, they spoke rather casually. “Actually I have a request”

“ _Oh?_  What is it, my dear  _friend_?” Nagi leaned forward and blinked.

“I think there are enough scientists working on the earthquake thing already. I would like to get back to my original research...” Yamato trailed off at the end knowing it sounded like a selfish request.

“ _Oh_  Yamato, you know other scientists feel the same way you do...” Nagi looked sympathetic, but he wasn’t about to grant his permission that easily.

“Please, Nagi. It’s..um..urgent.” Yamato tried to not spill information which made the request even harder to answer to.

“Or...Is there a  _problem_?” Nagi’s face turned serious as he looked straight into Yamato’s eyes. Even that, his charm did not decrease at all.

“uhh...” Yamato hesitated. Finally, he sighed and began to explain how Mitsuki had gone missing and how Tenn had ended up here from another world. He said he wanted to locate Mitsu as soon as possible especially now that weird phenomenons were happening.

“OH MY GODDDDD!!!” Nagi screamed loudly, got up and ran to shake Yamato’s body. “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME MITSOOKI WENT MISSING?!?!?”

“Whoa Nagi”  _Seriously this guy...he’s shocked by the wrong part._  The truth was Yamato, Nagi and Mitsuki were close high school friends. They just went separate ways afterwards. Plus, Yamato knew back then Nagi had special feelings towards Mitsuki, so he didn’t want to worry his otaku friend much more than necessary.

“Oh Yamato  _next_  time please tell me right away” Nagi sounded a little hurt. “You may resume your research”

With that, Yamato was ready to take his leave. He turned his back to Nagi when...“ _wait_ ”

“Take all the earthquake footage with you.” Nagi spoke while typing on his computer to share the files.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Yamato asked.

“ _Yes._  All of these events were too  _strange_  to be unrelated.” Nagi hit send.

Yamato nodded. “I’ll keep you in the loop” Then he waved. “Thanks” and left.

“ _Mitsuki_...”

~~

- **Majabah** -

Riku flopped onto his bed, panting heavily when he arrived at the inn and placed the unconscious Gaku on another bed. It was a tiring day for the young lord.

Mitsuki’s head felt much clearer by the time they got back. He went to get Riku some water and drinking medicine. “Hey, are you alright?” The doctor sat down beside the lord.

Riku slowly got up and took the medicine bottle from Mitsuki’s hand. He sipped it little by little because he was quite tired. “Thanks, Mitsuki”

“He’s out like a light” Mitsuki looked at Gaku who slept peacefully on his bed.

“Gaku needs this more than anyone else” Riku set the empty medicine bottle down on the bedside table before walking to sit on the edge of Gaku’s bed. The lord reached his hand to gently fix the silver hair strands that were out of place. “He’s done so much for me. This is the least I could do for him to make him feel less restricted.” Riku touched Gaku’s warm cheek with care. His eyes were full of sorrow. “He is stuck with me.”

Mitsuki felt a pang in his chest watching the scene in front of him.

“Riku, I asked before but this time, answer me truthfully” The orange haired boy looked down on his loosely clenched fists. Riku directed his attention to Mitsuki. “How come you’ve never asked me to be your butler?”

“Like” Mitsuki took a deep breath. “When Momo-san came, you let him learn his art while serving you in return. So how come you didn’t ask anything of me?”

“Why am I always referred to as a ‘guest’?”

Riku was a sensitive soul. He could catch the bitterness and hurt in Mitsuki’s voice. He was clearly bothered by it.

Mitsuki didn’t want to go as far as to devote his life for Nanase-sama, but he wanted to feel like he was a part of this life in another world.

He wanted to feel like he belonged in this foreign place.

“I wanted to protect you from this terrible system of our world...” Riku started to answer. “A commoner. A noble. A lord. They’re all just titles, yet they have created so many problems, so many differences in levels within the society.”

“I apologise that my selfishness and my little ideal has kept you from fitting in. It must have been...confusing.” Riku looked as if he was about to cry. “I just don’t want you to change, Mitsuki”

“Hey, Riku, it’s all good.” Mitsuki went to touch Riku’s shoulder. “I’m happy that you’re trying to protect me. I know you’re kind and you care.” His eyebrows dropped and he smiled. “But I’m strong!” He flexed his non-existent biceps before bending down on one knee.

“So let me serve you, Riku. I will adapt, but my friendliness won’t change. I’ll still call you Riku, touch your shoulders, or argue with you....when appropriate”

Riku froze for a bit. Then he chuckled. “Pfftt that’s not how you talk to a lord, Mitsuki!”

“My deepest apologies, Nanase-sama.” Mitsuki imitated Gaku’s expression, voice and speech. The lord and the doctor ending up laughing together loudly.

Riku tried to regain his composure to make things formal. “Very well, Mitsuki. Make sure to let Gaku know of this news once he wakes up.”

Mitsuki suddenly held his breath.  _Oh shoot...I forgot about Yaotome!_

~~

The sun was starting to rise. Riku and Mitsuki were already up as they were used to getting up around this time. Mitsuki got ready and left to find a place to practice his art for a few hours while Gaku was still sound asleep.

“Ngghh” Gaku started tossing and turning in his bed. He seemed to be having a nightmare as he was gritting his teeth, groaning and sweating. "Owww my..limbs...tearing...zZzZ"

Riku frowned. Those words his butler were mumbling were disturbing. He wondered why Gaku was having such a seemingly scary dream.

"Gakuuuu" Riku went and tried to shake the guy awake. Gaku did not wake up. "Hmmm..." He did not want to cast magic on Gaku. Not knowing what to do, Riku pulled the blanket and sat on the bed beside Gaku.

"Protect...zzz...my lord..." Gaku shifted his position. His head ended up on Riku's lap. His face became magically peaceful all of a sudden. Riku took this opportunity to adore his butler's sleepy face and played with his soft, silky hair.

"nnnghh...hm?" After around 20 minutes, Gaku's consciousness finally came back to him. His vision was still pretty blurry. What was he sleeping on? What a weird shaped pillow. Curious, he reached one of his arms to grab Riku's slender thigh.

"Wah!?!" Riku was taken by surprise. The boy was reading some magazines provided in the inn. "Ah, Gaku you're awake"

Gaku was stunned for seconds after his eyes adjusted to the light. He looked up to find his young lord smiling at him. It was then he realised that his head was on Riku's lap. "MY LORD!" Gaku's eyes widened, his cheek went red. He sprang himself up so fast, he fell off the other edge of the bed and landed on his bum. There, Gaku kneeled and bowed with his forehead on the ground. "My lord, I apologise for my rudest behaviour!"

Riku only laughed. "Gaku, raise your head. It's fine, really. Seeing you drunk is rather enjoyable."

"But Nanase-sama!" Gaku immediately objected. "It was incredibly dangerous. What if someone targeted you on the way back?!"

Riku sighed. "Well then, stop being so strict and call me by my first name already. Otherwise, I'm going to have to force you to drink every time I want to see the real Yaotome Gaku"

Gaku gulped. He himself cared much about his lord physically, but he often neglected his lord's feelings without meaning to. A part of him also felt grateful his lord wanted to get closer to him. "I under-, no, alright, Riku" Gaku nodded and smiled. In return, Riku gave his, which was 10 times brighter.

~~

Gaku was surprisingly accepting when Mitsuki told him he wanted to serve Riku. The personal butler's smirk indicated he would probably enjoy seeing Mitsuki suffer during harsh training. Plus, Gaku was happy his lord managed to make someone like him enough to serve him.

The three had breakfast at one of the local cafe before having a wander around town. Riku loved any shops with cute crafts and he managed to charm the owners with his smiles, kind words, and innocent curiosity. Gaku always spent the longest in weapon and spellbook shops. Magic users did not need those spellbooks to cast magic but it may help to learn some advance techniques. Mitsuki stopped by at odd shops with rare food ingredients so he could use them in cooking food for attracting and controlling animals.

By the afternoon, they got to the quieter, more isolated part of the town with more large houses and mansions. They followed a certain neat, narrow nature path because Riku was curious where it led.

"Unbeleivable!" Mitsuki stared in awe once they got to the end of the path. There was a large, beautiful waterfall and lake. Bushes of colourful wild flowers grew around them.

"I was not expecting this" Gaku was also taken by the pretty scenery. "Perfect spot for a rest"

The three sat down on a clear grassy area near the waterfall which had a cave underneath. Riku wanted to explore the cave but Gaku said he needed rest more than any of them, so Riku pouted and sat. Mitsuki brought out the snacks he bought from several candy shops. While he let Gaku and Riku enjoy snacking on sweet milky toffees, he sang. Soon, birds and harmless friendly animals surrounded them. Riku was over the moon seeing some spotted deer wandering around them. Mitsuki kept humming tunes and feeding the animals. A short moment later, he sang a calming song so the animals would not fear Gaku and Riku. It worked like a charm on Gaku. Woodpigeons and robins landed on Gaku's head and shoulders. "Fwah?! Wah! Oi! What the-" Mitsuki and Riku laughed seeing the butler so flustered. The doctor wished he had a camera or a phone to capture these memorable moments in Majabah.

What interrupted them was an echoing cry coming from a cave. It did not sound like any typical animal cries. Mitsuki had learned the cries of common animals found throughout Majabah. This one was new. "Hey, did you all hear that?" Mitsuki paused and asked. Gaku and Riku both nodded. "Do you know what that is?"

"I have never heard something like this before." Riku shook his head.

"It must be loud if we could hear it all the way over here from that cave" Gaku went into thinking pose.

"Well then, what are we idling around for? Let us see what is inside!" Riku sprang up on his feet in excitement. Gaku knew there was no stopping his lord now.

"Alright, Riku. Izumi, watch Riku's back. I will lead." Gaku checked his body to make sure he had all shurikens ready in his mysterious hiding places.

"Roger that"

The travellers entered the cave and it was not as large as they thought for it to be. Riku lit up the cave using his light magic. The path was long without forks but not narrow so there was wind blowing through. Gaku and Mitsuki were relieved since they were worried Riku might have trouble breathing deep inside the cave.

Before long, they got to the end of the tunnel. Three pairs of eyes glittered as they saw glowing crystals and gemstones embedded in the walls around them. "Whoa...these are so pretty..." Riku stared in awe.

"What the hell is that?!" Gaku instinctively stepped backwards when he saw something in the middle of the area. It was small, white, round...

and it certainly was alive.

"Be on your guard everyone!" Gaku shouted as he took out his shuriken.

"Wait!" Mitsuki shouted as soon as he got a good look at the mysterious creature. "It's badly injured"

"You're right" Riku's eyes widened. Right away, he stepped forward to get close to it. Gaku panicked. "My lord, careful!"

"No way...!" Riku was shocked once he got very close to the creature and identified its species.

"Riku, are you okay?!?" Mitsuki and Gaku now also surrounded the creature. Gaku's face went pale. "Holy- my lord, is this-?"

Riku looked at Gaku with a serious expression. Mitsuki did not quite understand why until the next sentence left the lord's mouth.

"It most certainly is a baby dragon"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooohhh Nagi, you're in for a bitter ride *smirks*  
> I seem to have teased Gaku a lot Fufufufufu....  
> And they found a baby dragon which was thought to be extinct! What will happen next? Sa...I wonder :P  
> Votes and (nice) comments are always appreciated!! Thank you~! If you wanna contact me or anything 'kenarkrsun' is my Twitter or just PM ^^


	15. The Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn and Iori just wanted some time together when Yamato interrupted them  
> Majabah: Dragon.

Nagi in his full Regulator costume vs Riku in his casual clothes

\---------------------------------------------------------------

- **Silica** -

Tenn knew forcing Yuki to be his manager was not the smartest choice. First of all, he hardly knew anything about Yuki personality-wise. It turned out the guy was not the easiest person to deal with. He had been working as Tenn’s manager for two weeks and already Yuki’s unfriendly attitude had managed to make some people at work click their tongue in frustration.

“He’s one of those guy with a pretty face and no talent. No wonder why he isn’t an idol anymore.”

Those kinds of words really set Yuki off because it did not insult just him but his former partner, Banri, too.

Nevertheless, Tenn managed to convince Anesagi to put up with the guy. Why? Yuki had a good sense of duty. He did the work he was supposed to do. Plus, Tenn knew Yuki could easily advise and criticise his abilities without holding back because he was brutally honest. The boy wanted to improve and drew all the attention to him.

Also, Tenn wanted to help Yuki as the guy did give him some guidance when they first met. The most selfish reason he had was probably to show Iori that people are allowed to grieve. At the same time, people have to keep holding on and moving forward.

Not everything was going in the negative direction. At work today, Tenn was told that his first live concert was officially scheduled. The magic user was so excited he took Iori out on a sudden ‘date’ that very same evening. “Our cafe meeting was rudely interrupted. We have not had a proper meal out since then” He said when actually he just wanted to spend more time with Iori. The student had been helping out at Yamato’s lab almost everyday until nightfall lately. It seemed they were close to discovering something major.

Okay, ‘a meal’ part was not a lie. They did take a detour though. While they were following a hologram navigator AI projected from Iori’s smartphone to the recommended restaurant the two picked, Iori came to a sudden stop due to being distracted by an arcade game centre along the way. Sure, Iori was not the type to be absorbed by such things. However, that specific game centre was full of crane game machines featuring Usamimi Friends limited edition plush collections. Yes, Iori wanted them badly.

Tenn stopped walking when he noticed Iori was no longer walking by his side. He took a few steps back and got his answer. “Ah...the pastel coloured rabbits you like” He spoke with a straight face.

Iori seemed irritated by the word ‘rabbit’. “It’s called Usamimi Friends...” He muttered just loud enough for Tenn to hear. Tenn only reacted by smiling and took the lead as usual...

...into the game centre, of course.

“Wait, Nanase-san?? Aren’t we going to dinner?” Iori was surprised, though his mind was on its way to the moon.

“Oh we are” Tenn turned around to face the student. “After you get your favourite plush”

“I d-didn’t say I want them!” Red face Iori tried to deny the truth so Tenn teased the boy a little more. “Then we leave” Tenn began to storm out. Iori panicked. His inner instinct made him reach his hand out to grab Tenn’s slender arm. “Wait! Okay, I want them.” Iori squeezed his eyelids shut in total embarrassment.

“Heeeh? You do?” Tenn teased the student one last time.

“YES!” Iori blurted out. Satisfied, Tenn walked in and approached the counter staff to exchange play coins. It was his first time in an arcade so he too could not wait to try things out.

The two went to the specific pink and purple crane game machine with cute music playing in the background. Several fluffy Usamimi Friends plush with special patterns such as stars or music notes lied inside, waiting for their loving owners. In an attempt to remain calm, Iori inserted the coins and began to explain (in great detail) how crane machines work. Tenn nodded along.

“Who would have thought this counts as a game?” Tenn spoke while watching Iori concentrating and using the joy stick to move the claw to the soft-looking blue plush with special heart prints. “This would never work in Majabah. Some people can use magic to manipulate objects anyway.”

“That is cheating” Iori replied, eyes on the claw. There. He slammed the button. The claw managed to get under the plush fully but of course, it was not that easy. The plush was too heavy to be lifted with it.

“That looks like cheating to me” Tenn spoke when he thought Iori had surely got the plush.

“The goal is to try to move the plush bit by bit, Nanase-san” Iori turned to smile at Tenn. The aspiring idol blushed. It was pretty rare to see Iori smile sweetly and genuinely without holding back. Right now, the boy in front of him reminded him so much of the side Riku he hardly ever got to see.

When the plush was nearly dropping, Iori stepped away and let Tenn try. Initially, Iori predicted it would take around three more good tries to drop the plush. Well, Tenn was there to prove him wrong. With one very careful try, he made the plush drop and present itself to Iori.

Tenn crouched, took the plush and handed it to Iori. The magic user swore he could see glittering stars in Iori’s eyes. “...so...soft” Iori cradled the large plush in his arms gently and patted it as if it was a real pet. Tenn, being cheeky, reached his hands towards Iori’s trousers pocket and grabbed the boy’s smartphone. He snapped a few pictures while he had the chance. Iori would probably delete it to get rid of the evidence (What for?). Too bad Tenn had not obtained a smartphone from his agency yet. Anesagi promised him one by next week.

What woke Iori from his dream was the sound of his phone buzzing in Tenn’s hands. Tenn shoved it in the younger boy’s hand. A frown could be seen on his face upon seeing the caller ID. Tenn wondered what was going on. It was past 7PM.

Iori thought he had lost his hearing right then and there when he picked up. “Ichi! You need to come to the lab right now! Bring Kujou!” It was Yamato who hanged up the second he finished his command. Tenn and Iori looked at each other like ‘are you kidding me?’.

“* _sigh*_  Fate does not want us to have our moment huh?” Tenn spoke with a voice full of disappointment. They had to be there. Yamato would never prank them, right?

Iori doubted that.

~~

- **Majabah** -

"Grraaaaaa..."

The dragon hissed at the three when Riku reached his hand forward in an attempt to check its condition and pick it up. Gaku instinctively jumped in front of his lord. He refrained from taking out his weapon in order not to anger the dragon. No one knew how much power it had in store. Mitsuki had not learned songs for controlling dragons, so Gaku had a suggestion. “It’s a baby dragon. The song you sang for the deer earlier might work.” The goal was to calm the dragon down and took it outside the cave to inspect its wounds.

The amateur Beastmaster gulped. If his song got through, great. If not, there was no telling how the dragon would feel and react.  _Here goes!_  He began singing song of the calm, trying to convey to the dragon that the three of them did not mean any harm. They wanted only to offer help. Perhaps the white dragon was too weak, the song worked as hoped. Mitsuki kept singing. At the same time, he reached his arms out to carefully lifted the dragon up by grabbing under its front armpits.

“Grooooo!!!” The dragon cried out in pain. It had no strength to struggle nonetheless.

“Sorry! sorry! We’re just getting you outside quickly okay?” Mitsuki switched between talking and humming tunes while the three were rushing and making their way out.

Once they were right in front of the cave beneath the waterfall, Riku cast a large barrier to cover the area around them to prevent the dragon from fleeing and going on an unexpected rampage. Gaku wasted no time in casting healing magic on the poor creature. It worked liked a charm.

The dragon’s smooth skin shone brightly under the sunlight. It started to spread its tiny wings on its back. The last thing it did was opening its eyes to reveal two icy blue orbs. They looked like expensive refined gems. Its height was around Mitsuki’s knee when standing on its hind legs. The first human it locked eyes with was Mitsuki.

“Can you speak?” Riku looked down and asked, gaining the attention of the creature. According to the ancient beast book, dragons can communicate with humans.

The dragon stood still and thought. Took a few seconds for it to reply “....yeah” Gaku and Mitsuki looked at each other in surprise. It had a pretty unique masculine voice, one which could easily charm the girls having a night out.

“What caused your injury?” The lord continued his interrogation.

“Mmmm...I dunno.” The dragon tilted its head and frowned. “I only remember walking up in that glittering cave.”

“Your name?” Mitsuki asked this time.

“Don’t remember” The dragon put its front legs on its hips.

“An...amnesiac dragon?” If it was a human, Gaku would be pointing his shuriken at its neck in trying to force out the truth by now.

“I would like to propose an agreement” Riku spoke as if he was in front of another high ranked noble. “I am Nanase Riku, the lord of this world. Dragons are known to have gone extinct by our people. It would be better in terms of your safety if you travel with us, dragon.” The lord was willing to do anything to protect what could be the last dragon in his world. Having it wander around would cause people to panic and both sides could get hurt. Gaku knew it was better to not make an enemy of this so-called powerful being. He had no objections. There was no need to ask Mitsuki. He was the only one capable of taming the dragon anyway. Plus, the doctor's eyes lit up when he heard Riku's proposal.

Riku was about to continue when the dragon interjected. “So you’ll feed me if I come with you?”

The lord blinked twice before replying. “Certainly”

“Sure, I’ll come with you, Rikkun” The dragon smiled brightly, showing its shiny sharp crystal teeth.

Gaku was sweating internally. He was not sure if he should scold the dragon for disrespecting his lord’s name. The idea seemed absurd. “I thought dragons would be more...divine” The butler spoke without thinking (he did), earning a sharp glare from the baby dragon. “Haah?! What was that old man?”

“I am not old!” Gaku shouted back loudly. “I am high lord Nanase-sama’s faithful butler, Yaotome Gaku!”

“Gakkun huh?” The dragon spoke with a bored voice before ignoring the boiling butler completely. It then turned to Mitsuki. “What ‘bout you?”

“Izumi Mitsuki” Mitsuki spoke excitedly. “I’m a Beastmaster so let’s work together okay?”

“I don’t get what you mean, Mikki, but if you’ll feed me then okay”

With that the three formed a weird ‘pact’ with the strange dragon.

~~

- **Silica** -

Iori and Tenn froze as soon as they stepped into the lab where Yamato usually worked in. The green haired scientist was completely focused on the hologram being projected on the screen almost as large as a room’s wall. Ryuu sat by the corner of the room with the lab’s computer and was typing with scary level of intensity.

Had they just stepped into a sci-fi movie set?

“OH  _Iori_!”

A charming blond individual came out of nowhere and caught a hold of Iori’s shoulders. “You must be so  _lonely_  without  _Mitsooki_. Here, Kokona-chan will make you feel  _better_!” My, my Iori's heart dropped for a minute when he thought he had dropped his special Usamimi friends plush from surprise. He would kill the guy if he did.

Tenn stared at that guy who was waving a Magical Girl plush in front of Iori’s face in disbelief. “Aren’t you the Regulator Nagi Valhart von Northmare?” Tenn frowned. In his head, it was unacceptable for a person of ‘lord position’ to present themselves unprofessionally and childishly.  _How is it okay that this man is in charge of governing Silica?_ Back home, even his sweet Riku had to present himself as the next high lord at all times.

Tenn’s look turned into a sharp glare when Nagi, with a plush still in his hands, directed his attention to Tenn with another “Oh?”. Tenn refused to go on one knee and bowed before this man. Then again no one else was giving the man any kind of special treatments. Tenn began to wonder about the tradition of this world. He knew Silica had no ‘lord’ but he could not see the world where all humans were treated equally regardless of their statuses.

Even if he was living in it himself.

“ _Hello_ , you must be a visitor  _Yamaato_  was talking about. Kujou Tenn right?” Nagi walked forward and offered his right hand. When Tenn took it, Nagi gave his killer wink to the young man. Tenn tried so hard to resist the urge to give this guy a standard two hour lecture on basic lord manners.

“Welcome to Silica. I hope our world has been treating you kindly”

Okay, suddenly Nagi sounded so proper.

“It is a great world I must say.” Tenn went into his reserved noble mode. “However, I did not expect its Regulator to be so... _eccentric_.” The half blinded boy gave a mini polite smile of hidden victory. Little did he know he could not win against the mighty 'Rokuya Nagi'.

“But of course!” Nagi replied with so much energy that Tenn’s eyes could not open any wider. “I am most  _unique_  and  _BEAUTIFUL_!”

Just when Tenn was ready to roll his eyes and give up, Yamato interrupted. “Nagi, save your beauty talk for later.” The scientist directed his gaze at Tenn. “Look at the hologram Kujou”

Tenn looked up to find a very unstable live image of some place. It looked like a part of a village. It was hard to see small details as the image was badly pixelated. Still, he noticed wooden houses and people dressed in old apparels. In front of one of the houses, there was a person with a huge cauldro-

_Hold on...a cauldron?_

Tenn gasped and dashed forward to stand right in front of the projected screen. He started inspecting details in the live image that may be able to give him a clear confirmation of what he had in mind. It did not take long until he saw something red glowing near the cauldron-person’s body.

Magic.

Tenn let his mouth hang agape. He took two steps backwards, unsure of the reality of what was shown to him. Suddenly, the connection was lost and the hologram system was completely shut down.

“Was that where I think it is?” Yamato asked while spinning a pen in his hand.

Tenn took a minute to regain his composure and nodded. “That’s Majabah...no doubt about it”

Iori turned sharply to look at Tenn's face.

Fate definitely did not want them to have their pleasant moment together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha...I did not expect to write a chapter this soon but hey, here it is. Enjoy!   
> I feel like Nagi could annoy the hell out of Tenn.   
> I hope the pacing of this fic is okay. Im certainly not trying to rush things.  
> More Majabah next time. WE ARE GOING DOWN THE ANGST ROAD WHOOOOOO!!! [or that's just what i think] :P  
> As usual 'kenarkrsun' is my twitter if you wanna contact me or anything ^^


	16. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica: Tenn's and Iori's decisions on their next move  
> Majabah: the travellers moved to another town but then...

- **Silica** -

“I can’t accept that”

It was the first time for Tenn to give Iori a scary looking face - a big frown and sharp eyes showing his strong disapproval on the discussion.

After the discovery of Majabah, further research was needed to pinpoint the exact location and to find out how to form a connection between the two worlds.

Tenn seemed reluctant on whether he should remain in Silica, or go back to his hometown. Majabah was his home. He was a magic-user so returning there would be the right thing to do.

Because Tenn had a hard time making his decision, Iori proposed his idea. If Yamato, Ryuu and he were to find a way to travel to Majabah, it was likely they would have a plan on how to get back to Silica. Iori wanted Tenn to return to Majabah, so the magic-user could decide where he wanted to be. That was not all. The condition was that Tenn let Iori go with him. Iori claimed that he wanted to find Mitsuki which was partly true. The real reason was he wanted more time to spend with Tenn even if it was in a completely foreign place.

Iori told Tenn that his decision would depend on whatever his Nii-san wanted to do if he found the guy. However, Tenn was not having any of it. The magic-user refused to let Iori be exposed to a cruel world full of discrimination like Majabah.

The two were discussing the matter at home. Tenn stood in front of Iori who was sitting on the couch, reaching his arms out to press the younger boy's shoulders downwards. The high school student felt intimidated, scared even. Was Tenn always this protective?

"You are NOT going to Majabah, Izumi Iori. Not when no one knows if your brother is really there. Definitely not when you don't know how to cast magic or hold a blade." Tenn sounded like he was scolding a kid. "I will not let you expose yourself to danger"

"Bu-but Nanase-san" Iori stuttered. "Am I wrong...?" He stopped to swallow mid-sentence. When Iori was about to look away, Tenn directed his gaze to force Iori to retain eye contact with him.

"What are you trying to say?" Tenn demanded.

"Am I wrong...to think you will protect me while I'm there?"

Tears started to well up in Tenn's eyes. "I can't protect anyone, Izumi..." He let his hands flop and drop from Iori's shoulders. The scientist was shocked to see Tenn so hurt, so fragile he would break by a single touch.

"I tried to save my little brother's life" Tenn spoke with tears running down his cheek. "which ended up taking his one and only trusted personal butler's life"

Tenn did not know about his Dispel magic power. After he regained his consciousness and found he was not executed, he was convinced Gaku's body was torn into shreds by Sousuke's whirlwind. He assumed Riku would be told both him and Gaku were dead. He could imagine the boy mourning their deaths day and night. Tenn did not want to lose anyone dear to him ever again. He would protect Izumi Iori at all costs even if it meant he had to be far apart from the boy.

"I trust you, Tenn-san"

Iori's words woke Tenn up from his haunting nightmare. "I don't know what you've been through, but during our time here in Silica, you've always been looking after me, so I trust you."

"Please let me go with you"

~~

- **Majabah** -

"Lazu, try freezing this block of wood"

It would be strange to keep calling a baby dragon who can communicate with humans 'dragon', so Mitsuki gave the beast a nickname at least for the time being. Since Mitsuki was a Beastmaster, Lazu was pretty much fully in his care.

Too bad Lazu was not so easily tamed, nor it could control its power very well. Mitsuki and Lazu had had to apologise to several people for accidentally freezing their houses or gardens. It was a relief they were travelling with Gaku and Riku who could melt the ice with fire magic.

Lazu got irritated easily and would always ask for sweet flavoured food way too often. Mitsuki's songs did work on the dragon though not so effectively. The beast and the master had a long way to go to achieve perfect harmony.

Other than dealing with the trouble maker dragon, the trip had been going well. No one had gotten ill even though Riku had attacks every now and then. The lord and the butler had several opportunities to connect with the townspeople and villagers of different places, learning of their problems and listening to their life stories. Riku paid his full attention to every single person who spoke to him. Every few nights, he wrote down what he had learned about his people and made a report to Sousuke and Otoharu for them to send people to solve problems from each town. Tsumugi and Momose mentioned they had been getting thank you letters and gifts from the nobles who were in charge of governing the towns the lord had visited. Because of this, there were rumours flying around in Majabah about the lord disguised as a noble checking on the states of the towns.

“My lord, we need to be on our guard” Gaku warned Riku about the rumour.

No one would dare question the identity of the lord Nanase. The same could not be said for the butler Yaotome though. The people of Majabah knew a lord would always be accompanied by at least one personal butler. If you think about it, it would not be so difficult to point them out. Especially, when the Yaotomes would be the ones to show up during important public events.

The only thing Gaku was worried about was his lord’s safety. He knew his lord would always be on his best behaviour at all times. “Keep a close eye on Nanase-sama, Izumi.”

“I know, Yaotome” Mitsuki nodded. He did not sign up to be Riku’s butler without knowing the consequences. He knew, if anything were to happen to Riku, he would face punishment or even execution. Well, he was not about to let anything happen to his lord.

That day, they travelled to another medium-sized town which had a huge dormant volcano situated on the edge of it. Because of it, the town's temperature was always high. Houses there were made of stones to keep cool as the temperature pretty much stayed the same throughout the whole year.

The strong heat seemed to be affecting the high lord the most. Good thing Lazu was there to cast an icy cool mist around Riku occasionally. Wondering why people were not shocked to see a dragon? Thanks to Mitsuki, Lazu had learned how to shapeshift by taking the energy from Mitsuki through his song. Right now, he took a form of a white cat with gem-like blue eyes. He was happy as a cat because he could hitch a ride on Mitsuki's shoulder.

"I heard there is an old museum here" After getting themselves a room in an inn, Riku had an idea. "Can we go there before exploring the town?" The lord beamed.

"Of course, Riku" Gaku nodded. He would never refuse his lord's request. The butler was sure he had visited the said museum before when he was around 10 years old. Sousuke took him there to force him to learn about the glory of the Nanase whom he was groomed to serve. That museum was about the history of Majabah and the discovery of magic.

When Gaku was little, he could not understand why he had to serve a family who acted all high and mighty. He hated the previous high lord and his wife with a burning passion because of how Tenn was treated. He hated how he got smacked or tortured with magic by Sousuke when he did not behave properly as a butler. The little Gaku just wanted to play like any other normal kids out there.

He was not assigned to serve Riku until he turned 12. The young butler used to hate the kid and only did his duty so he would not get in trouble. However, by spending most of their time together, Gaku could see how Riku had the same eyes as him. He also was suffering. He could not play. Plus his illness was making things much more difficult.

"Ne, Gaku, I am sorry" The 8-year-old Riku spoke to him. "You must be bored having to accompany me all the time."

Those teary eyes shook young Gaku's heart. The kid did nothing wrong yet he had to feel guilty. Gaku also did nothing wrong by wanting to live a kid's life but had to receive harsh punishments.

That day, Gaku lied. He lied so Riku would stop those tears. He bowed to his lord and said: "I am happy to be serving you, Nanase-sama."

It was a lie no longer. Now that Gaku had lived his life seeing Riku's purity and kindness. Hatred turned into care, loyalty and perhaps even love. That was a story for another day.

When the four entered the museum, Gaku noticed it had been renovated completely. It used to be very quiet and gave off an eerie aura. Now it was much more welcoming with more people visiting. They were greeted by a receptionist, probably in his late 50s. Gaku approached him to get some tickets. Riku, Mitsuki and Lazu waited a distance away from Gaku. Lazu was a 'cat' so he had to wait for them by taking a peaceful nap in the reception area.

"Young man, you look familiar" The receptionist said while inspecting Gaku's face carefully. Soon, he let out a gasp. "Are you perhaps the young Yaotome-sama?!?"

"No, no" Gaku denied. "I am not as handsome as him." The lord and the butler would normally come clean when asked about their identities, but they wanted to avoid causing a commotion at a public place.

The displays in the museum was very well thought out. Paintings were not still. They were made to tell a story with wind magic controlling the colours on them. "Whoooa" Mitsuki was fascinated by a large beautiful painting showing a man casting fire magic on one hand and lightning magic on another.

Gaku looked at that painting with eyes full of hatred. Riku was clearly bothered by it. He looked sad.

"Ho ho caught your interest, did it not?" An old lady guide came over to the three of them. "This is the painting of the previous high lord Nanase-sama, doublecasting his powerful magic."

Mitsuki took a quick glance at his friends, which confirmed his thought. That was the painting of Riku's father, the cruel lord. When Riku took the high lord position, he chose not to announce it so only very few people knew about him. Riku wished to live peacefully with his people while his father had lived the opposite way. Everyone knew the previous high lord. The people of the whole town would be bowing before his presence the instant he stepped his foot outside the mansion.

The previous high lord had executed many lives for ridiculous reasons to show his power and authority, so the people feared him. From what Riku knew, his ancestors were no different. It was how they reigned the world for so long. It hurt Riku to think he was part of this bloodline.

His father loved doublecasting magic, meaning casting two types of magic at the same time. It was a skill only the Nanase was able to perform.

The lady kept going on about how impressive and glorious the previous high lord was.  _Lies._  Riku thought.  _These poor townspeople were brainwashed. Father did not do anything to help make the towns prosper. Why then would the mansion be receiving letters of gratitude now after never having any before?_

Riku clenched his fist. He wanted to cover his ears and run away. Gaku squeezed his lord's wrist to remind him he was there with him.

The old lady's speech was cut short by loud screams from the outside. The travellers looked at each other before rushing out of the museum. Lazu came running to them, shouting "The volcano, it's about to erupt!".

"What?" Gaku could not believe what he was hearing. "It's supposed to be inactive"

"Well, it wakes up now!" Lazu argued. "We need to get outta here"

"Mitsuki and Lazu, can you help people with the evacuation?" Riku turned to ask. "And Gaku, cast a barrier just outside of town to protect the people"

"My lord, what about you?" Gaku raised his concern.

"I will stop the volcano" Riku spoke with a voice full of determination. It did not matter to Gaku and Mitsuki. "That's crazy, Riku!" The doctor thought it was absurd.

"I will be fine. You have my word" Riku turned his back to his servants and started to walk away, in the opposite direction to where the townspeople were heading to.

Gaku placed his hand firmly on Mitsuki's shoulder. "Carry out your duty, Izumi"

"...but!"

Gaku cut any objections off. "Nanase-sama can handle it. We must do our part" The faithful butler chose to trust his lord the same way his lord was trusting them with their duties. With that Gaku dashed off and started putting up a barrier for the people.

"Damn it!" Mitsuki cursed before running off, knocking on people's doors and yelling for them to head for the barrier.

_Riku, you have to be okay._

_Stay safe, my lord._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the silica part was very short! I'll try to make it longer next time okay?  
> and theres trouble again in Majabah. Will everyone be safe? You just have to wait to find out :P  
> if you wanna contact me or anything @kenarkrsun is my twitter ^^


	17. Exhaustion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the content in this chapter may be disturbing so read with care

- **Majabah** -

The townspeople were mostly evacuated when the volcano was erupting more and more violently thanks to Mitsuki and Lazu's teamwork. The dragon (disguised as a cat) used ice power to mark the ground for the townspeople to know which direction they were supposed to be going.

Riku cast a barrier around himself while approaching the angry volcano. He wished he could cast one to cover the whole town, but he would need to save his magic strength to cast another spell to stop the volcano.

The lava heat was downright scary. The bits which were exploding out of the volcano’s mouth started to splash on houses, melting parts of them down. They were hitting and penetrating Riku’s barrier too so the lord had to keep recasting it.

“So this is how Gaku felt when he was fighting my fire” Riku felt as if he was being roasted alive. He would have to act quickly before his health condition act up or his magic ran out.

The townspeople were taken to another mountain top. They could see Riku as a small figure from there. People’s faces were full of horror. What could a normal human do to stop nature’s wrath?

Gaku gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. “My lord...you can’t...” The butler knew when his lord said he was going to be alright was a blatant lie. Still, he went ahead and carry out his duty knowing it was what Riku wished for.

Mitsuki was too terrified to say anything to help Gaku and Lazu feel better. They could only watch, hope and pray.

The volcano cared for no one. Its anger could not be quelled by a speech from a lord of Majabah. Instead, it rebelled. The sound of the explosion could be heard a hundred kilometres away and the lava came bursting out of the volcano’s mouth.

To the people on the mountain top, it looked like Riku was about to be swallowed whole by the huge wave of hot lava. Everyone screamed thinking that boy was going to die for sure and that their homes were going to be completely destroyed.

“You will not stop me that easily!” Riku let out his most intimidating battle cry. The lord opened his arms wide and cast one of the most powerful magic: void.

The purple void of darkness appeared in front of Riku, swallowing the hot lava as if it was enjoying a feast. Then, the lord strengthened his power and extended the void to cover the whole volcano.

It took mere seconds for the void to eat the whole mountain up.

Everyone could not believe what they saw. A person just stopped the volcano from destroying the whole town. Among those people, Lazu’s eyes widened. Flashes of vision came to him, making him freeze.

“I...I am...”

As soon as the void disappeared, “Nanase-sama!!!” Gaku cast time magic on himself and rushed down the mountain to his lord’s side. The lord was on one knee, breathing heavily through an open mouth.

Gaku bent down and let Riku put his arm over his shoulder. "* _Huff huff*_...is everyone safe?" asked the tired lord.

"Look in front of you, Nanase-sama"

The townspeople were standing a good distance away from Riku and staring at him.

"Ah" Riku smiled even though it burned to breathe. Almost all of his body weight was on Gaku. "That's a relief" He looked up and smiled at his townspeople before his body felt too light to keep standing.

"...! Nanase-sama! Nanase-sama!" Gaku supported and lifted his lord's body up bridal style before it hit the hard ground. One certain individual ran forward to them.

"Y-Yaotome-sama" It was the museum receptionist. "Please use our infirmary." Gaku nodded and followed the man to the large stone building with several clean white beds.

~~

- **Silica** -

"Are you sure you want to do this, Izumi?"

Iori lied unmoving on his big brother's soft bed. His eyes were blank. His head? Not very much so. Nanase Tenn and he were about to commit one of the greatest sins of Majabah, or perhaps of humanity even.

"Izumi Iori" Tenn with his naked upper body crawled onto the bed, staring at Iori below him. His wrinkled shirt was on the floor next to the bed. "We cannot reverse this"

"I know, Tenn-san" Iori pretended to act cool. It was obvious the boy was terrified. "Do it"

"You are going to feel excruciating pain." Tenn warned the high school boy one last time. "If you cannot bear it, your life will be lost"

When Iori did not reply, Tenn closed his eyes and let a big breath out. He channelled all the magic power inside him, creating multi-coloured orbs around his body. Iori closed his eyes. He had to be ready for anything to come.

Tenn sat up, keeping his eyes closed. "O Lord of the creation, this ritual I perform to ask for thy permission" He opened his arms wide, chanting the spell louder. "Grant this soul magic power. With it, our life force shall be shared!"

Tenn bent down and pressed a hard kiss on Iori's mouth. The multi-coloured orbs turned into a yellow sparkling glow of light, flowing from Tenn's body to wrap around Iori's.

Iori welcomed the passionate kiss coming from his crush. The instant Tenn pulled away however, his eyes widened as his body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside. Iori screamed extremely loudly. Earlier, Tenn had to tie the boy's arms and legs to the edges of his bed with thick robes to prevent him from going insane from the unbearable amount of pain and hurting himself.

Tenn stepped away from the normally calm and collected boy. "The pain shall pass, Izumi" Tenn stared at a person he came to hold dear in his heart. "You will get through it"

"You have to get through it" Tenn clasped his hands and sat on his heels, staring at the poor boy.

"AHHHHHH!!!!" Iori cried, fingers and toes twitched and locked. His eyes rolled back a few times. It was a truly disturbing scene yet Tenn watched with a straight face, believing he did not deserve to run away from seeing a horrible display.

"When you wake up" Tenn muttered. "You will become a magic user..."

That's right. Tenn and Iori had performed a ritual strictly forbidden in Majabah. It was actually possible for one magic user to share his magic power with another. The fact was kept well hidden from the public, but having lived in the Nanase mansion, Tenn had once sneaked in the room full of lord records and read about this magic sharing ritual.

The ritual was widely performed in ancient Majabah where one with low magic power wished to cast more powerful magic. In the boys' case, if Iori survived the ritual, he would obtain Tenn's amount of magic power. Sounds wonderful right? 

Well, there is a limit.

If one person went into magic exhaustion, the other would be affected too. Magic exhaustion happens when a person has used too much magic power and the magic power inside them corrupts. Nothing could stop magic exhaustion so it had claimed several lives in Majabah. One would need to grit their teeth and bear the pain until it went away.

Another limit is that, if one person died then the other would lose all their magic power. The process was considered a taboo in Majabah so anyone found having gone through it would face execution.

Even after Tenn's detailed explanation on the process, Iori decided to go through with it for several reasons. He knew himself to have a strong mentality so the possibility of him not surviving the pain was low, or so he thought. The boy was mostly having trouble staying sane right now.

The high school boy, like Tenn, would do anything to save his loved ones. Even if no one had pinpointed Mitsuki's whereabouts, he would go to Majabah to search for his brother. Because of that, he needed the power to fight off anything in his way. He needed that power to protect his Nii-san and Tenn-san.

After the search was over,...

Tenn would prevent Iori from facing execution. Iori would find a way for both of them to escape the death sentence.

~~

- **Majabah** -

"Oi, Lazu what's gotten into you?" Mitsuki shouted at his dragon in cat forme when it stood at the mountain top in a daze. Townspeople had already gone back down after knowing it was safe to do so. Only Mitsuki and the dragon were there.

"I...I am..." Lazu muttered.

"Lazu?"

Mitsuki was about to reach his hand to touch the cat dragon when a bright glow of light surrounded the dragon's body. "Wahh?" The shape of the cat was shifted. Arms and Legs were increasing in length. The dragon was starting to take the shape of a figure: a human figure.

The glow of light disappeared to reveal a man in an all-white suit with chin-length light blue hair and icy blue eyes.

"What the hell...?" Mitsuki took a few steps backwards in shock to see a dragon turned into a human.

"I am Yotsuba Tamaki, servant of the keeper of the Dimensions, Osaka Sougo"

Mitsuki blinked twice. "W-what does that mean...? What are you?"

"I'll answer later" Tamaki turned around, ready to run down the mountain. "We need to check on Rikkun"

Mitsuki nodded and followed Tamaki. It would take a while for them to run back down without time magic. Mitsuki was not sure what was going on. It was clear Riku had managed to stop the volcanic eruption.

So why did he have such a bad feeling?

~~

- **Silica** -

Iori woke up on his Nii-san’s bed the next morning, covered in sweat. His whole body ache but his head felt much lighter. He turned his head to see Tenn cutting the ropes tying his arms and legs with wind magic. Iori’s wrists and ankles were bruised thanks to his body struggling to cope with pain through the night.

“Congratulations, you survived” Tenn sat on the edge of the bed and touched Iori’s head to check his temperature. He smiled lightly when there was nothing to worry about.

“That was horrifying” Iori tried to sit up and failed without Tenn’s help. Not only he had experienced physical pain, but he also had to sleep with a never-ending nightmare full of things that could be found in horror movies.

Tenn held an empty plastic cup in his hand in front of Iori. Iori looked at the guy as if to say ‘what?’. 

“Try casting water magic in here”

Iori was about to ask how when he somehow had a feeling he could do it without instructions. He held up his right hand, imagined an image about water flowing into a cup and voila! Blue orbs surrounded his body and water magic was cast...

...soaking his own body and Tenn’s.

“...” Tenn wiped the water off his face with his arm. It was a useless attempt since their whole bodies were wet. “What a terrible control. And you claim to be a perfect high school student?”

The boy was too excited to listen. Iori smiled looking at his hands, fascinated by his newfound power.

“We need to train you” Tenn stood up. “And in secret”

“Right” Iori nodded. He might have been young but he was mature enough in Tenn’s eyes.

~~

Yamato and Ryuu still needed a while yet with their world connection research so Iori and Tenn had plenty of time to train. At night, they would meet in the middle of the artificial lake. Tenn would freeze the surface of the water so both could walk to the middle of the lake. Tenn would then destroy the walkway ice and only freeze the water in the middle, deep enough for himself and Iori to feel comfortable enough to stand on it.

Because Iori had obtained Tenn’s power, spells came naturally to him. The only thing he needed to master was control.

Oh hold up...there was another problem.

After an hour of training, Tenn felt a wave of dizziness hit him and had to crouch to keep himself from falling over. He looked to the left to find Iori on his knees, panting.

“Your stamina is way too low” Tenn shouted to Iori. “We need to stop or we’ll both go into magic exhaustion”

The two lied their backs on the cool ice for a while to recover before Tenn said “Hey I have an idea”

“What is it, Nanase-san” Iori turned his head to find Tenn already standing up and offering him a hand. Iori took it and felt himself being pulled upwards.

Tenn started to sing his own song which immediately charmed Iori. The idol began to glide gracefully around the ice using little magic to help with balancing. He then danced, jumped and twirled as if the ice was his dance arena.

After a full round on that land of ice, Tenn glided to stop behind Iori. "Care to join me?"

Iori did not know how to skate. He did not need to as Tenn's magic was acting as a support. The boy did know how to dance so they let themselves move to the sweet rhythm in the silent night. Tenn and Iori danced with joined hands, skipping and spinning in total sync as if they had been dance partners for eternity.

They hoped for a memorable moment like this to last forever.

~~

- **Majabah** -

"Nnnnggghhh"

The lord was resting peacefully on his bed for a short moment alone in the large room with his personal butler. Gaku's heart was beating loud hoping for Riku to rest well without interruptions. However, Riku's face started to scrunch up in pain. He was getting sicker and fast. His body shivered severely.

"No!" Gaku who was kneeling by his lord's bedside panicked. "Magic exhaustion!!"

“Nnnggghh * _huff*_ ” Riku’s hands and toes tensed up when he felt like his whole body was repeatedly cramping and relaxing every few minutes. Dark glows surrounded the lord's body even when he was not casting anything. The magic inside him was rejecting its user's existence.

Riku was frail in terms of his physical health so casting a large scale powerful magic would, of course, make him suffer the consequences. The lord himself knew it was going to happen...

...and that he would most certainly not survive it. 

If the eruption was not stopped, the people Riku loved including Gaku and Mitsuki would likely not be here at this moment. Riku was not having any of that.

The lord remained unconscious most of the time, haunted by disturbing hallucinations. At one point the lord opened his eyes which showed much tiredness and little colour.

"My lord?" Gaku leaned forward when he saw Riku opened his eyes. He grabbed a glass of water mixed with sugar and mineral salt and brought it up to Riku's mouth. Riku could only take a few sips before his body began to reject the intake. 

"I cannot see you so clearly anymore" Riku spoke when his eyes were fixated on Gaku's face. His vision was blurry he could not focus on anything.

"You can see me after you have recovered" Gaku spoke, trying not to sound so hopeless.

Riku smiled lightly "...I am afraid my time is running out"

Gaku had never felt so shaken. He was not as afraid when he challenged his father for a fight to the death. He felt much more hopeless and helpless now that he could only watch his lord's life slipping away from his hands. Gaku gripped Riku's arm. His eyes were clouded with tears.

“You are warm” Riku mumbled with his eyes shut. His breathing was getting softer and quieter.

“Keep talking to me” Gaku demanded. “Please my lord, don’t go to sleep”

“....”

“It's not fair.” Gaku’s voice was getting shakier from desperation. "You lied to me when I am always loyal to you."

Riku remained silent.

"Majabah needs a lord" Gaku squeezed Riku's hand and started to cry uncontrollably. "A servant needs his master"

The lord showed no reaction whatsoever.

His heart had stopped.

"You can't die like this!" Gaku buried his face in his lord chest and screamed, slamming his fist to the wooden bed. "Not after you've saved me and everyone else!" He shook his lord's body violently. "Damn it, wake up! I SAID WAKE UP!!!"

A series of rushing footsteps could be heard from the infirmary hallway. Within seconds, Mitsuki and Tamaki who were panting heavily entered the room to find grieving Gaku.

Mitsuki did not have to walk any closer to know why Yaotome Gaku was screaming as if it was the end of the world. Having worked in a hospital, he knew that sound very well.

The sound of a person mourning another's death.

"No way..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, like in My Crown im guilty as hell for writing such content so im gonna leave quietly through the backdoor please dont try to find me  
> I'm still leaving my twitter here tho -> @kenarkrsun


	18. Revealation: Majabah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Majabah only chapter - more details about the two worlds are being revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Majabah only, the next will be Silica only. At first I hoped to publish two at the same time before I flew home but nope. so here i am updating at supposedly sleeping time (lol) with only Majabah chapter. Enjoy!

~ **Majabah** -

Gaku screamed without caring about his politeness or whatever. His lord was dead. Nothing mattered anymore. What was the point of a servant existing if the lord was gone?

By Riku's other side, Mitsuki flopped to his knees. "No way..." What the hell happened? If he was here earlier, could he have saved Riku's life? What kind of a doctor was he? He touched Riku’s arm which had some warmth that would soon go cold.

"Rikkun..." Tamaki in human forme approached the lord's lifeless body. Gaku and Mitsuki were having enough trouble fighting with their despair that they did not care who got close to them.

Soon, however, Tamaki said something that caught the other two's attention for a second. "Rikkun is not supposed to die here." Gaku and Mitsuki turned to him, still in a daze. "Sou-chan wouldn't want that"

Tamaki summoned two blue crystal-like orbs in his hands. His icy blue eyes lit up like a glow of a hot blue flame. The 'dragon' combined those orbs into one, approached Riku's body and touched the glowing orb on the lord's chest.

The orb slowly went into the lord's chest and a blue glow surrounded Riku's body. A moment later, translucent blue smoke started floating up from the lifeless body. As soon as the smoke went out, Riku began to open his eyes and blink.

Messy and teary Gaku who buried his face in his lord's chest was shocked when he could hear the heartbeat once again. "My lord?!?"

The two butlers sprang up on their feet. Their eyes soon met with a familiar carnelian pair full of life.

"Gaku" Riku looked to his right to find Gaku’s wet face. He tried calling out his butler's name. He then looked to his left. “Mitsuki” His body did not feel so tense anymore. He could not feel any pain, nausea or tiredness. It was as if the magic exhaustion never happened.

Gaku and Mitsuki looked at each other and nodded in mutual understanding. Gaku helped Riku sit up on the bed before mixing up another mineral drink for his lord. Mitsuki wasted no time to check Riku’s physical health to his best ability.

~~

No townspeople would dare enter the infirmary with their lord inside so Gaku, Mitsuki and Riku were together privately. Tamaki slipped outside to give the three some time to themselves.

“Are you angry at me?” Riku sat with his back straight on the edge of the bed and his feet on the cold stone floor. He asked his servants with an apologetic gaze.

“...” Gaku and Mitsuki were each on one knee in front of Riku and staring at his face. Gaku bit his lip, forcing himself to stay silent. He could not lie to his lord that he was so mad, shocked, sad and that he felt betrayed. Mitsuki was not sure how he felt. He had not been with Riku for too long. Although the world around him went pitch black when the lord no longer moved or breathed.

“Speak your mind, Gaku” Riku looked right into his personal butler’s eyes. If he had to command Gaku to be himself, he would do it. Gaku was known for his honesty, but the biggest barrier to him speaking freely was him being a servant. As for Mitsuki, Riku knew the doctor was not the type to hide his feelings.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t I be angry?!?”

Gaku snapped. With such a weakened state of mind, all the things he had endured over the years, all the feelings he had bottled up during the time exploded just like the volcano that erupted earlier. “You!” Gaku reached his arms to violently grabbed Riku’s shirt, pulling the lord down to face his blood-red eyes. “Stupid! I don’t care if you order me to go die but you! Stop throwing your life away. ‘It’s for my people’ my ass! What about me?!?”

“Whoa Yaotome” Mitsuki went to pull Gaku’s arms back but the taller man did not even budge.

“I love you!” Gaku stood up and shouted before releasing the grip on Riku’s shirt. ”I don’t give a damn how many lives you want to save. I would do anything to save you even if I have to sacrifice everyone else.”

Riku’s eyes were full of fear, which happened so rarely since he was supposed to rule the world. He looked at the broken Gaku with a shocked face. Mitsuki froze at the sudden confession. Why was there a pang in his chest when he heard it?

Gaku spoke with a quiet voice full of bitterness this time. “...yet I chose to trust you, knowing full well you were lying. Can’t you be a little more considerate of the people right next to you, or even yourself? You are a person too”

Riku’s eyes were getting teary. The lord felt the need to cry out. He buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

“M-my lord, I...” Gaku was woken up from his blurry mind as Riku wept in a way he had not seen since the day Tenn went missing.

“Get out” Mitsuki said it firmly. Both the lord and his personal butler needed time to calm themselves, so the doctor had to act. Fortunately, broken Gaku went outside without arguing.

Mitsuki sat down right next to Riku and grabbed the boy’s shoulder. “How’re you feeling?” He rubbed Riku’s back and made sure the redhead was not struggling to breathe.

“* _sob*_  It’s wrong...* _sob*_  for a lord * _sob*_  to love his servant”

Mitsuki’s heart dropped to the floor. He could feel it cracked.  _So this is why it hurts. I’m jealous._

_I care much about Riku too. And not as just as a friend._

_I want more..._

_...and I’m not getting it._

Mitsuki's arm on Riku's shoulder flopped involuntarily to the floor. Good thing Riku had not noticed. With blank eyes and head facing the floor, Mitsuki asked with his voice full of hesitation. “Do you love Yaotome?”

Riku kept weeping.

Mitsuki was too impatient to wait for an answer. 

“Riku” Mitsuki turned his body and placed his hands on both Riku’s shoulders. “Do you love him?”

To say Mitsuki was prepared for any answer would be a lie. Let’s say he had made up his mind. Regardless of Riku’s answer, he would continue to serve Riku during his time in Majabah. If Riku’s answer was a no, he would have a chance to make Riku and himself the happiest men in the world. However, if it was a yes, Mitsuki was ready to respect that feeling and made sure Riku and Yaotome could get together happily.

_I just want Riku to be healthy and full of life. He deserves it. More than anyone else in this world._

Then came a spear which pierced the heart from above.

“I love Gaku”

Riku started to hyperventilate after saying it out loud. Mitsuki, though stabbed in the heart, stayed strong and helped Riku calm himself down. The doctor would need to get out soon or he would burst. He went down on the floor to kneel before Riku one last time.

“You should tell Yaotome. Nothing else matters right now. Just tell him.”

With that, he patted Riku’s shoulder as a reassurance before walking out of the room.

~~

Gaku was in the far end of the infirmary hallway. He seemed to have calmed down a lot. When Mitsuki saw the guy, he walked straight past Gaku while saying “Nanase-sama asks to see you”. It took a few seconds for Gaku to register those words. When he turned around wanting to speak to Mitsuki, the doctor had already disappeared outside. Without much choice, Gaku headed back to the part of the infirmary where his lord was in.

“Nanase-sama, it’s Yaotome Gaku.” The butler announced before walking in. He slowed down for a few steps when he saw Riku drying the last bit of his tears with a handkerchief.

Riku gave his command without looking at his butler’s face. “Kneel before me, Gaku” It was unusual, though not unexpected. Without delay, the older man bowed with his head on the floor before Riku, saying his apologies loud and clear. He was sorry for being rude. Nevertheless, he was not taking back what he said earlier.

The only words that left Riku’s mouth were commands for Gaku to raise his head. Then, the lord offered his butler his hand and a reserved smile. “Shall we head back outside?”

Gaku looked at Riku’s face and hand simultaneously, hesitating to take it at first. As soon as Gaku’s hand touched his lord’s, Riku grabbed it tightly and pulled the butler up to stand alongside him. Gaku made a surprised face when he did not expect this kind of act from Riku. The lord hugged Gaku tightly with his head on the servant’s shoulder.

“I thank you” Riku spoke clearly, showing his deepest gratitude. He wished he could respond to Gaku’s feelings more. Too bad his lord position prevented him from doing so. That being said, Riku had already broken the rules by neglecting Gaku’s rude behaviour and showing affection to him. “Thank you for always being by my side”

Riku had the butler’s warm hand in his during the time they walked through the infirmary hallway. When they reached the exit door, Riku turned to smile once again before letting go of Gaku’s hand.

_Someday we shall hold our hands freely in front of our people._

Gaku blushed slightly without knowing he did. Hopefully one day they could see that the bond they shared was one of the keys to changing Majabah.

A moment earlier...

"Mikki, ne, Mikki stop" Once human forme Tamaki saw Mitsuki stormed off from the infirmary entrance, Tamaki chased after the Beastmaster and reached his hand to pull Mitsuki's arm.

"Just what do you want Lazu!?!" Mitsuki stopped, turned around and snapped at the guy who had just saved Riku's life. "Oh...sorry I didn't mean to shout" Feeling guilty, Mitsuki apologised right away.

"Why is Mikki upset?" Tamaki asked, not understanding human's complicated emotions. "Rikkun wakes up now so why?"

Mitsuki let out a big sigh, wiped bits of his tears with his arm. "I'm just jealous and at a very wrong time"

"I..don't really get it" Tamaki tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I don’t have much presence when I’m with the two of them” Mitsuki leaned against a stone wall, kicking small rocks with his foot. “It’s a bitter feeling”

“Ah” Tamaki opened his mouth and hit the palm with his hand as if he finally got what the doctor was saying. “So Mikki wants to mate Rikkun but Rikkun wants to mate Gakkun?”

Mitsuki paused with his mouth hung open before bursting out into a laugh. “BWAHAHAHAHA Lazu you brute!”

“Haaah?” Tamaki pouted. “Am I wrong or what?”

Mitsuki knew he was in for a rocky ride yet he was glad he had chosen to walk this path. At least, his dragon was a pure soul who would always be there for him.

At least for the time being.

~~

The lord’s party reunited at the inn they were staying. Their faces were full of frowns. Gaku had his chin in his hand. Riku sat straight not showing many expressions when he was actually thinking hard. Mitsuki leaned forward to grab human forme Tamaki’s arms.

“So you’re saying Majabah and Silica are connected?!?”

Thanks to Tamaki’s story, several different reactions were found in a small room. The four were gathering around the tiny coffee table. Everyone was sitting on the floor.

“Yeah” Tamaki nodded while inhaling the snack Mitsuki normally used to tame the dragon. “If the Illusionary Wall at the Nijiiro canyon is removed, you can see Majabah’s capital and Silica District One are connected.”

So this was what the three travellers learned from the servant of the keeper of the dimensions: Majabah and Silica had both been in existence for about the same period of time. To keep the two worlds alive and peaceful, Osaka Sougo the archangel, keeper of the dimensions, had been watching over them and keeping them separated by an ‘Illusionary Wall’.

However, when Mitsuki was mysteriously sent to Majabah, the order of the two worlds was disrupted and Sougo started to lose his mind, causing his force power to run amok.

“So you are saying-“ Riku processed his thought carefully to make sure he understood all the details. “The thunder that hit the village by the sea some time ago and the volcano just now-“

Tamaki nodded. “They are caused by Sou-chan’s power”

After Mitsuki was teleported to Majabah, Sougo in an attempt to keep his sanity tried teleporting a random boy from Silica to Majabah hoping to restore the balance of the two worlds.

“It didn’t work” Tamaki started shivering. “Sou-chan went even crazier and tried to kill me”

So to escape death, Tamaki as a large full size white dragon dove down from the Sky Realm. During his flight down to Majabah, he was hit by Sougo’s force, unfortunately. He lost his consciousness. When he came to, he was already with Riku, Mitsuki and Gaku at the cave.

“Doesn’t that mean our worlds are in danger?!” Mitsuki shouted.

“That’s another reason why I tried to fly here” Tamaki was playing with his human forme hair. He turned to look at Riku. “Rikkun is powerful and might be able to confront Sou-chan.”

That was the reason Tamaki chose to revive Riku even though it went against the flow of nature. It was a necessity.

“But...” Gaku showed his angry face of disapproval again. He seemed to be against the idea, unsurprisingly. “Nanase-sama had lost his life from stopping the volcano. How is my lord supposed to fight against...a god figure?”

Tamaki did not answer. Even he felt it was hopeless to try to fight Sougo because the keeper possessed a tremendous, if not endless, amount of force.

“If it is for my people...” Riku started and immediately got cut off by his butler.

“Not a chance” It was clear how much Gaku's body tensed up from the thought of losing his lord again. “There must be another way” or rather, he wanted to believe there was another way.

Mitsuki looked up to the ceiling. “Can we even stop the guy from here? It’s not like you can fly us up there, Tamaki” When Tamaki gave him an annoyed look, Mitsuki flinched. “Wait..., you can?!?”

“I. Just. Said. Imma big dragon. BIIIIIG Big dragon” The human forme beast made hand gestures to try to convince the humans. He managed to convince none other than the innocent lord himself. “Whoooa” Riku imagined a vision of a divine white dragon in his head.

To sum everything up, both Silica and Majabah were in danger because Osaka Sougo could not keep the balance between the two worlds. Trying to confront the archangel himself would be foolish. Tamaki suggested it would be best to travel to Nijiiro Canyon where the Illusionary Wall was. Riku and Gaku’s magic may be able to slightly strengthen the wall used to hide the existence of one world from another, therefore calming the archangel down to buy time for negotiation up in the Sky Realm.

Gaku and Riku looked at each other before turning their heads to face Mitsuki.

“Then...Mitsuki would never get home”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fufufu can you see where this is going or what I am planning? Teehee~ :P  
> Hope you are all relieved now that Riku is revived. See, I am nice after all~  
> Mitsooki, join Nagi for a bitter ride okay? *smirks*  
> Again if you lovely ppl want to talk to me I am on twitter @kenarkrsun ^^


	19. Decision: Silica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenn's first live concert. Yamato and Ryuu have found the way to get to Majabah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Silica only - have a healthy dose of TennIo ^^

- **Silica** -

Preparations were going incredibly well for Tenn’s first live concert. President Anesagi was confident Tenn was definitely her best weapon to charm people of Silica with the power of music. Yuki, as usual, had a way of speaking too bluntly and honestly. It pissed some people in the preparation team off, but his manager power enabled him to have some authority. He might have been a tad too low in spirits. Fortunately, it did not hinder his ability to work and he met Tenn’s expectation.

However, on the day of the concert, Tenn had fallen sick.

“Tenn-kun, you are not performing in that state.” Yuki narrowed his eye. The aspiring idol was lying on the dressing room couch. His head was spinning due to a high fever.

“But I am” Tenn protested. “My fans are already waiting in the hall. We can’t send them home and disappoint them. You know that better than anyone else, Yuki-san”

Iori was without a doubt part of the audience. It would be inappropriate for Tenn not to give his whatever-relationship-status-they-were-on guy a ticket. Even if he did not, Iori would certainly buy one. We all know Iori was Tenn’s biggest fan.

With two pink shining light sticks in his hands, Iori was ready to shake them to the rhythm of Tenn’s catchy songs. Although, he knew Tenn did not seem so well this morning. Concern filled his mind when Tenn should have stepped on the stage two minutes ago.

Iori was woken up from his train of thought the instant the hall went dark and the intro music started playing.

_Can you feel my heart?_   _Can you feel my dream?_

Tenn appeared in the middle of the stage slowly from below. Even though it was his first live concert, all the tickets sold out. It showed how talented and charming Tenn was that he managed to capture at least a thousand of people’s hearts in a relatively short time.

_kokoro kara omedetou_

A smile appeared on Iori’s blushed face as Tenn sang and danced beautifully like a prince in a castle ballroom, except his dance was more energetic and free. The experience felt like a dream for Iori. He could not be happier and more proud for having played a part to take Tenn this far.

Iori was glad to have Tenn in his life.

Fate was not always so kind, unfortunately. Tenn felt a strong wave of dizziness hit him halfway through his performance. The magic-user kept pushing through so no one saw that his dance was becoming more sloppy and his steps, more wobbly.

Those little mistakes could never escape Iori’s analytic gaze and Yuki’s sharp eyes.

_He’s about to collapse._  Yuki was about to order some staffs to put a break in the middle to save Tenn when all of a sudden Tenn was dancing fine again.  _...What?_

Tenn himself was surprised by it as well. Just now he spun around and thought he was going to fall. The idol felt some force preventing his body from hitting the hard ground. Even though it bothered him, he welcomed the magical help for the sake of entertaining his fans. He let his hands and legs follow the guidance of the force, to the point he hardly needed to think which dance move comes next.

Yuki narrowed his eyes. In his head, he was thinking there was something suspicious going on. Banri’s death made him more observant and at times worried over little things. So far, that mysterious something seemed to be helping Tenn. Yuki decided not to act just yet.

A minute later realisation hit Tenn. The only other person other than his manager who knew Tenn’s choreography by heart and the only other person other than himself who knew magic was Izumi Iori. Tenn, while keeping his smile, searched the audience for the one person he was looking for.

And he found the boy.

Iori was smart. Within a short time, he had managed to gain good control of several magic types. Right now, each time he was casting a very tiny amount of object manipulation magic on Tenn’s body part to help with the dance. Because Iori remembered the choreography, he knew exactly when and where to cast the magic. Because Iori was using little magic, no one would notice him casting since there were no orbs surrounding the boy.

The smile on Tenn’s face changed. It became more relaxed and accepting. Iori got the message and also smiled in a similar way Tenn did.

~~

Yuki did not say anything other than “Good work today. Rest well Tenn-kun.” And let Tenn lie down on the couch in the dressing room, panting heavily from high fever. It was not unusual for Yuki to speak so little but after a concert? Tenn expected more compliments. Sure, fans screamed wildly for him. Still, he wanted every single person’s attention.

The last thing Tenn remembered he had to do before losing his consciousness was to thank Iori. Seeing as Tenn was out like a light, Yuki put a cooling pad on the boy’s head, asked some staffs to help carry Tenn to the AI driverless taxi Yuki booked through his smartphone. Both the manager and the idol got on the taxi. Luckily Tenn had given Iori’s address to Yuki earlier so Yuki knew where to go.

Iori was already home when the two got there. Yuki had to drag Tenn out of the taxi because he had not got the strength to carry the boy. Iori was surprised to see Tenn lying on the ground next to Yuki when he opened the door.

“Thank you for bringing him back, Yuki-san. I will take care of him” Iori thanked Yuki as he attempted to lift Tenn up.

“Wait” Yuki walked two steps closer. “Let me in” He demanded. Iori swore he had never seen such a scary glare from the former idol.  _Don’t tell me he...!_

Left without a choice, Iori let the manager in. Yuki invited himself to sit with his legs crossed on the couch. “Tea” The guy ordered without waiting for Iori to ask. Geez, is he a king or what? Iori sighed while pouring hot water from the kettle. The high school student tried hard to keep a straight face and act normal. Tenn was left to rest on the couch.

When Iori was about to set the teacup down on the table in front of Yuki, the older man grabbed his free hand. “You. What did you do?”

“What?” Iori’s heart was pounding hard. He was not the best actor yet he was not a bad one. Yuki kept glaring at him, making the boy so uncomfortable.

“Don’t act like you are innocent” The manager spoke bluntly. “You live with Tenn-kun. You know he has a fever.” Yuki gripped Iori’s hand tighter. “You were his manager so you know his dances”

“So tell me” Yuki tugged the boy’s hand. “What are you two? And don’t lie to me. I remember those strange spheres around Tenn-kun’s body when Ban was dead.”

“I’ll explain”

Tenn sat himself up slowly, surprising both Yuki and Iori. Iori used the opportunity to pull his hand free before sitting down right next to Tenn. “W-wait, Kujou-san?” Tenn normally was a person who kept personal matters...personal. It seemed the fever was making his mind too groggy. When Tenn began to explain (quite badly, mind you) everything about his and Iori’s situations, Iori sighed and decided to join in to make everything clearer.

Yuki seemed a little shocked to hear about magic but then he nodded in acceptance “I see. You both are missing someone important to you too”

Tenn felt dizzy and his body flopped onto Iori’s. The younger boy felt the urge to embrace frail Tenn. Then again he could not bring himself to do it in front of Yuki. His face said it all though.

Yuki’s mouth curved into a reserved smile. “You found comfort in each other. That’s cute.” He looked up to the ceiling.

“Maybe one day I’ll find someone who would put up with me like Ban did”

~~

“Finally we have some ‘us’ time” Iori sighed and muttered quietly. He did not realise Tenn overheard it when the idol returned to the table with a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries.

“Hmph. Since when did you and me become ‘us’?” A part of Tenn was being a realist brat. The other, which he refused to show, was squealing in happiness. Iori was so flustered that his next few sentences were full of stutters and ‘Baka’s.

To celebrate Tenn’s success, earlier today, Anesagi gave Tenn and Yuki a voucher each to the luxury chocolate buffet place situated on the top floor of the new Sky Silica. “I would go with you if I was not so busy. Ah! I have to contact that woman. Enjoy.” was what Anesagi said when she left her office in a hurry.

Yuki instantly pushed his voucher into Tenn’s hand the instant Anesagi was clearly out of sight. “You go with Iori-kun. I am a vegetarian.” He then waved goodbye and exited the room gracefully.

Tenn wanted to knock his own head when he realised Yuki being a vegetarian had absolutely nothing to do with going to a chocolate buffet (there were even vegan chocolate options). He decided to not run after the guy anyway. There was no denying he needed some ‘couple’ time with Iori.

Now? Iori would not take the white chocolate cake with a dark chocolate bunny on top for himself so Tenn had to take it and pushed the plate to the hopeless boy. After that, he walked back to the large chocolate fountain pretending to get his marshmallows coated when actually he was giving Iori some time to admire the cake’s cuteness and snap some pictures of it.

Their table was in a private room so the two could chat freely. Serious conversations were brought up sometimes which was not unusual.

“I can’t believe you told Yuki-san everything after telling me a million times to be careful with my magic” Iori huffed.

“The fever was getting to me” Tenn blushed guiltily and Iori could see that. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Nanase-san. He doesn’t seem like the type to spill dangerous secrets. Plus, he’s your manager.” Iori gave Tenn a mini reassuring smile.

Their day ended with Iori curling up in Tenn’s bed after the two got a message from Ryuu an hour after eating a tremendous amount of sugar. This could be their last night together in Silica in the Izumi residence so the two somehow decided they wanted to spend it together.

They stared at each other’s faces. Neither could fall asleep. “Promise me something” Tenn was the first to break the silence. “Stay close to me at all times in Majabah. If you met the Nanases, get on one knee and bow your head. Follow all their orders. DO NOT talk back or show any signs of frustration” He glared at Iori.

“I can promise that Tenn-san” Iori closed his eyes and curled up a little more. “Except you will be my priority. I’d defy them if I have to protect you.” Judging from what he had heard from Tenn, Iori did not like the rest of the Nanases much.

Tenn blushed. He was glad the room was pretty dark. Even though he was anxious, he was also happy Iori cared about him.

~~

“From this map, we can see Silica District One is connected to a large unknown area, which we assumed is Majabah”

Ryuu controlled the system and made the map show on the hologram in Yamato’s lab. Yamato took care of explaining the connections between the two worlds.

Tenn nodded. “That’s definitely Majabah.” Tenn pointed to the bit of the map that was connected to Silica District One. “That’s our capital city, where the lord’s mansion is.” Iori was fascinated by how Yamato and Ryuu could work this out in a short time with little clue to go on.

Silica’s map, when drawn on the screen, was a simple circular area with District One on the leftmost side [west], surrounded by District Two to eight only on the top, bottom and right-hand side. Majabah was more abstract, making it hard to describe it in words. It probably looked like a standing cow, with its head [east] connected to Silica’s District One.

“At this point here” Yamato pointed to the place towards the Northwest of Silica District One. “...is the Rainbow Hill where we found a strange energy”

“Energy?” Iori frowned.

“Yeah. If we could temporarily weaken that energy, we should be able to see Majabah in the West. You two should have enough time to dash to Majabah with Kujou’s time magic.” Yamato crossed his arms. “Weakening the energy won’t be easy. Ryuu and I have made a tool for it but we will definitely need Kujou’s magic power”

“How will we get back then? Phones won’t work there” Iori raised a good point. How would Yamato and Ryuu know Tenn and Iori were ready to get back?

Ryuu gave the young men a sad look. “I’m afraid you and Tenn-kun will have a time limit” Already, Iori was not so fond of the idea. “It is to ensure our tool will still work when you need to return”

“Five months.” Yamato sighed. “If you can’t find Mitsu by that time, I’ll need you to come back. If you don’t, I’ll assume you’ve decided to stay in Majabah”

Yamato adjusted his glasses and looked at the high school student with a serious face.

“The decision is yours to make, Ichi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fufufufu i hope you've noticed that Majabah is trying to strengthen the Illusionary wall while Silica is trying to weaken it. :D I wonder what will happen Hmmmmm?? Oh I cant wait to find out.  
> I WANT TO GO TO THAT CHOCOLATE BUFFET!!!!  
> If you wanna chat, @kenarkrsun is my Twitter ^^ I might be a little odd but i certainly dont bite lmao


	20. The Calm before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silica is trying to weaken the 'energy' while Majabah is countering it. What will happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewlo lovely ppl! sorry for my long absence. ive been unexpectedly busy and did not have much down time to write. This chapter is very hard for me to write and tbh im not too confident about it. I hope it is okay and that i can still keep you reading. Enjoy!

- **Majabah, the night at the inn** -

Riku’s mind was heavy with thoughts after listening to Tamaki’s story of what was happening to the worlds. While the others were having their peaceful sleep at the inn, the lord quietly sneaked outside and wandered around the silent village he protected with his life.

In fact, Riku was feeling quite selfish. He should be worried about the state of the two worlds, or at least of Majabah and his people, yet his mind was full of questions about his own body. He looked down to his hands.

_What exactly am I?_

_My magic...does not feel right..._

The lord felt the magic within his body overflowing as if it was reacting with something. One minute he would feel hot, another he would feel cold. Riku wanted answers and the only way to find out was to cast some magic. Then again he feared he would not be able to control it and cause damage to this village. The dragon Tamaki did not seem to know what effect his power had on Riku’s human body. “Huh? Weird feeling? I dunno. I gave some of my life force to Rikkun. That’s all I did.” -was what the dragon said when Riku asked earlier. The young dragon had no reason to lie.

“I am...no longer human”

Riku came to a stop and looked up to the starless sky. Tears started rolling down from his eyes. Little did he know his eyes were glowing like dancing flames, the same way Tamaki’s eyes react to the changes sunlight: inhumane. As a lord, Riku knew better than anyone that a ritual performed to let two individuals share magic power was considered the greatest taboo in Majabah. Yet here he was, living on someone else’s life force. Even though it was rightfully given to him, it felt wrong no matter how he looked at it.

“I am not supposed to be here...”

Suddenly, the lord felt he could sense a presence behind one of the stone houses. He turned around swiftly, wearing a serious expression with a frown. “Show yourself!” Riku shouted. He was not preparing to cast any magic, but his body was surrounded by a glowing orange-yellow aura. His eyes lit up even more, making them stand out in the deepest night.

“M-my lord! It’s Yaotome Gaku!” Gaku quickly showed himself and bowed with his head on the ground. The butler had thought his lord was about to burn him to ashes. “My deepest apologies, Nanase-sama. I was simply worried!”

Gaku was clearly panicking. He had never felt such pressure and an overwhelming amount of power from whom he served. Sure, he knew how powerful his lord was, given how he could singlehandedly stop the volcanic eruption. Still, the man before Gaku made him feel weak by just looking.

Riku’s eyebrows dropped when he saw Gaku’s pale face. His aura faded as he ran forward to approach trembling Gaku. “Calm yourself, Gaku. I was not trying to hurt you”

Just when Riku thought everything was over, Gaku’s eyes did not stop showing fear when they met Riku’s.

“My lord, your eyes...”

Riku did not understand why his butler was so terrified until he saw how his eyes glowed in the dark in the reflection in the water a villager put in the urn placed outside the house. He gasped as he touched his own face.

Riku returned to grounded Gaku. He kneeled before his butler and bowed his head which shocked the guy. “You know what you have to do”

Gaku refused to accept what was happening. He shook his head in denial and spoke with a shaky voice. “I cannot execute you, Nanase-sama”

“You must” Riku closed his teary eyes. “This is far more grave than breaking a small rule”

“But I am Nanase-sama’s servant, not Majabah’s” Gaku pulled out one of his large shurikens and stabbed it deep into the ground. He then took a deep breath in and slowly stood up before walking away from his lord.

_Even if you were a ghost, I still love you the same._

~~

- **Silica District One, Rainbow Hill && Majabah Capital, Nijiiro Canyon**-

Iori, Tenn and Yamato stood near the edge of the cliff at the west-most point of the Rainbow Hill, which was where the scientists discovered the mysterious energy acting as an invisible barrier between the two worlds. The four could only see barren lands in front of them which was inaccessible due to the incredibly large and deep gap at the end of the cliff. All Silicans who had tried to fly or glide across it all experienced a sudden increase in gravity and fell to their deaths.

On the other side, it did not take long for Riku, Mitsuki, Gaku and Tamaki to get to the east-most point of Majabah at Nijiiro Canyon from the town they were at. After the villagers treated the lord’s party with a gratitude banquet, Gaku called the messenger and ordered him to deliver the letters his lord wrote and signed last night to Otoharu, Sousuke, Tsumugi and Momo to inform them of the current worlds' situation. Just now 

Gaku used time magic to get here while Mitsuki and Riku rode on Tamaki’s full dragon forme back. Tamaki was a white four-legged dragon with large demon-like wings. Good thing the doctor had studied a typical dragon’s body structure beforehand so he knew which body part to grab that would not hinder Tamaki’s ability to take flight.

“That was a somewhat scary yet exciting experience” Riku spoke as he stepped his shaky legs down from the dragon.

“Hahaha I know right? It was nerve-wracking!” Mitsuki laughed before he got distracted by the scene before him. The view Mitsuki was seeing was similar to the view the three at Silica Rainbow Hill could see.

“This isn’t a drop” Tamaki transformed back to his human forme and pointed to the gap at the end of Nijiiro Canyon cliff. “Sou-chan made an illusion so you can’t see Silica”

“And we will never get to see it” Gaku blurted out, making the already sad Mitsuki more upset. Gaku felt a wave of guilt hit him. “Brat...” Riku looked at Mitsuki whose shoulders started to tremble with a pair of sad eyes.

“I’m okay, Yaotome, Riku” Mitsuki used his arm to wipe his tears which were coming out endlessly. “Iori, my little brother, is in danger so long as the Keeper stays insane. This is the only way to make sure he is safe, even though I will never see him again” Mitsuki stared off into the distance and spoke quietly. “Goodbye, Iori. Yamato-san. Nagi...”

On Silica’s side, Iori and Tenn looked at each other. Their smiles were so sweet Yamato in the back could not help smirking.

“Wish me and Ryuu were as lovey-dovey as them” Yamato muttered.

“Hmm?” Tenn noticed Yamato was saying something so he looked back to check on the guy. “Care to say something, Nikaido Yamato?”

Yamato replied by simply laughing off before turning around to mutter with himself again. “*S _ighhhh_  * You need to learn more about fanservice, Ryuu. Can’t believe we’re married.” The guy shook his head in disappointment.

Tenn decided to ignore Yamato and returned to his sweet boy. “Let’s hope we find your brother. Izumi Mitsuki, right?” Tenn went into his serious mode. He was surprised to see Iori kept his smile. “What are you so happy about?”

“It’s true I’m going there to find Nii-san, but I also can’t wait to see your hometown, Tenn-san.” Iori got a little closer to the idol. “By the way, are you okay with leaving your fans behind?”

Tenn bit his lip. He felt terrible. He had been blessed with the attention and cheers he would never ever get in Majabah yet here he was, about to leave his fans behind for five whole months. Moreover, he did not even know if he would ever come back to Silica afterwards. “I hate myself for becoming an idol despite knowing how unstable my situation is. Still, I refuse to let you face danger on your own, Izumi”

“Why?” Asked the high school student.

“Because you are one of my fans”

Iori blushed. Flustered Iori felt the need to move on to the next topic. He asked “Shall we?” and Tenn nodded. With a magnetic fork-like tool in his left hand, Iori raised it above his head. Tenn began to cast lightning magic on the tool which absorbed it and used it to deflect the mysterious energy.

On Majabah’s side, human forme Tamaki noticed something was off. “The wall...it’s getting weaker.” The dragon was on high alert when soon the illusion was becoming more distorted and blurry. “Something’s weakening the wall!” He roared. “Gakkun! Rikkun! Quick!”

The lord and the butler nodded before stepping forward to cast light magic on the wall. Pale yellow coloured orbs surrounded their bodies. They focused their energy while having a vision of a tall barrier in their heads.

When Yamato noticed the energy level kept rising back up, he told Tenn to increase his magic power. On the other side, Gaku and Riku refused to back down, casting a more powerful spell each time the vision before them became more distorted. Before long, the magic spells from both sides started clashing on the Illusionary Wall, causing it to spark. The wall was invisible, but now people could see how large it spanned across the two worlds’ continents.

Suddenly, flashes of lightning surrounded the whole wall. The magic users stopped their magic casting and were about to take a step backwards when the Illusionary Wall cracked like glass and broke into scattering tiny pieces

“My lord!” Gaku threw himself in front of Riku and hugged him to protect the lord from being hit by a million pieces of flying glass.

“Izumi!” Tenn used his strength to push Iori backwards for Yamato to catch.

Gaku and Tenn were stabbed and cut by several pieces of glass. They both screamed in pain. Riku, Iori and the rest who were nearby only suffered minor injuries.

Again, before anyone could react, the sky turned deep violet. Grey thunder clouds formed all over it. Thousands of lightning flashes stroke all over Silica and Majabah.

A second later, the lightning hit everyone at the Rainbow Hill and Nijiiro Canyon.

~~

- **Majabah’s Capital** -

“ _gasp!_ ”

With widened eyes, Yuki looked left and right, checking if he was in one piece. All he wanted was a change of scenery so he was taking a stroll somewhere at the south Rainbow hill. All of a sudden, flashes of lightning started to hit the ground around him. When he was about to run away, it hit him. He thought he was done for but here he was, standing tall unscathed. It seemed the lightning had stopped.

“Where is this place?”

Yuki found himself in a totally unfamiliar place. Roads and houses were made of bricks and stones instead of concrete. People around him were staring at him, looking very confused. A few of them were on the ground, worshipping something. Most of the people were shocked by how Yuki appeared without warning. Not to mention he stood out with what he was wearing.

“Oh dear” Yuki seemed worried when he saw someone lighting a fire from his bare hands in the distance. “Is this...the magic world?”

“Um sir?”

Yuki turned around to face the voice owner. The manager looked at the man from head to toe. He was wearing quite a...’flashy costume’ in Yuki’s eyes. It was very princely that Yuki could not help thinking he was an idol or a movie star.

The man actually did the same to Yuki, except he expressed out loud. “Such cool looking clothes...” (Mind you, Yuki was only wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans) He gasped when he realised he was being rude. “Wahh sir, I’m sorry. It’s just, um, I overheard you said ‘magic world’. Are you...from Silica? You know about us?”

Yuki simply nodded, earning a shocked look from the man.

“I’m Momo- wah!”

Suddenly, the sky turned even darker. The whole surroundings turned very windy. It was easy to see why. In the far distance, tall and violent whirlwinds appeared, swirling and dancing. It swallowed people, houses and even the land itself. Acting like a dark void, it destroyed parts of the two worlds.

The destruction of the worlds had started. In Majabah, those whirlwinds appeared from the west, traveling east. The opposite was for Silica. Meaning, once both sets of destruction whirlwinds reached the middle, where the two worlds were connected, there would be nothing left.

Everyone would die.

The people in Majabah’s capital, where Yuki and Momo were, could not see how the whirlwinds feast on the lands yet they knew the end was coming near. Several Majabahns went on their knees and prayed for it to stop, for the Nanase to come and help them.

“Looks like this is the end...” Yuki muttered as he stared off into the black, screaming sky. Momo was terrified yet he refused to give up hope. He took a deep breath before grabbing Yuki’s slender arm and yanked it.

“This way!” Momo shouted and pulled Yuki to make him run. “The mansion, maybe we can come up with something” Yuki had no choice but to follow the hopeful stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yipes! I wonder what happened to the ppl at the rainbow hill and Nijiiro Canyon? Gaku and Riku did not end on a very good note lets hope nothing bad happens to any of them :P Fufufu~  
> Again I don't bite my twitter is @kenarkrsun ^^


	21. The Calamity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to those who were hit by the lightning and what about the two worlds - how would someone or something stop the destruction?

- **Silica, District Two** -

“Tenn, Oi, Tenn!”

Just how many times would Gaku need to slap Tenn’s face for the boy to wake up? The whirlwind was travelling fast and would wait for no one. Gaku had absolutely no idea where he was. Both him and Tenn were badly injured from before with several pieces of broken glass sticking out of their skin. It was a wonder how an invisible barrier between two worlds turned into this solid material. However, Gaku was a white magic specialist. He effortlessly healed his and Tenn’s injury despite having used a lot of magic for strengthening the Illusionary wall. Gaku was very well trained. He was probably stronger than the combined force of 100 magic users. Plus, he was gifted with a strong body and mentality. He was a perfect magic user.

The butler’s magic skills were not going to get him anywhere though. Around him were tall buildings and weird long metallic things. Gaku could run away from the destructive force, but no way he would know where would be the best place to go hide when he could not even tell houses from public buildings. The grey square 'boxes' all looked the same to him. Not to mention that there was another problem: Nanase Tenn just appeared before him after having disappeared for years.

“You've got to be kidding” Gaku looked around and saw how chaotic everything was. The townspeople were screaming and running everywhere because of that whirlwind. It seemed to have travelled wherever there was land. Clearly, it was coming Gaku’s way in at most within an hour, and if that happened, he would be dead since the storm was swallowing everything.

Gaku could not just leave Tenn to die though. His lord would never forgive him if he did. Growing desperate, Gaku formed a fist and punched Tenn, full force, in the face.

“Wake up you stupid brat!!!” The butler shouted.

Surprisingly wrecking the boy's angelic face worked. Tenn’s eyes started to twitch, soon they opened. It took a few seconds for his right eye to refocus, and when it did, he was met with Gaku’s handsome face.

“No time to be sleeping, Princess Brat. We need to run. NOW” Gaku wasted no time in pulling Tenn’s ripped shirt, making the boy sit up.

Tenn’s eyes widened in shock when he was sure the man before him was indeed Yaotome Gaku. “What the fuck?” Tenn sprang himself up on his feet and checked his body to find he was unscathed. “Am I dead?”

Gaku frowned. “What are you getting at? I healed you. Can’t you be more grateful?”

“You were dead, Gaku!” Tenn lunged at him, grabbing the butler’s torn collar. “You were cut to pieces by-mhhhmmm!”

Gaku immediately covered Tenn’s mouth with his hand. “Don’t say it!” He thought about how his lord knew nothing about what happened that day. It would be too risky for Tenn to speak of the details in public. Once he had made sure Tenn understand not to speak, he released the grip and whispered to the boy’s ear. “You used Dispel on me”

The idol gave the butler a super confused look. “What?” Tenn’s mind was full of disbelief. There was no way he was capable of using such powerful magic, or he would not be treated so lowly by his own blood.

Tenn opened his mouth, wanting to demand more explanation. Too bad the conversation had to end. Crashing sounds and screams from people got even louder. The whirlwind in Silica was now only a short distance away from the two. Without having to say anything, Gaku and Tenn cast time magic on themselves and began to run for their lives.

Tenn was not familiar with Silica District Two, but he had been in the world of technology long enough to know how to navigate. His phone was broken from the impact of the exploded barrier but he kept his eye on the SkySilica and led Gaku towards it.

It seemed luck was not on their side. After having run a few meters, Tenn’s magic effect stopped working. The boy collapsed to his knees with hands on his chest, panting heavily. Having realised Tenn was left behind, Gaku stopped and turned back.

“Oi Tenn what’s wrong?” Gaku bent down to find Tenn looking too pale to be healthy. “Not again damn it!” The guy hit the ground hard with his fist when he realised Tenn was having trouble with Magic Exhaustion, the same symptom that had just cost his lord’s life.

Left without many choices, Gaku carried Tenn on his back and ran in the direction Tenn was leading him to earlier. Without having to question, Gaku was concerned about his lord’s wellbeing since he did not seem to be anywhere nearby. Though he would be lying if he said that the fact that Riku was ‘changed’ did not make him feel slightly conflicted.

~~

- **Majabah, just outside the capital** -

“Wah? How did I get here?”

When Mitsuki came to, he found himself sitting on his bum in a shallow river with several slippery rocks underneath. It seemed his right leg was injured. How - he did not know. His knee was badly bruised and appeared very swollen.

“Oiiiii Yaotome!!! Rikuuuuu!!! Lazu!!!!” Mitsuki limped out of the river into what seemed to be a forest area surrounding it while shouting the names of his friends. It seemed they were not nearby.

Mitsuki recalled how he was hit by the lightning at Nijiiro Canyon. “That must have teleported everyone to different places” The doctor remembered the first time he got to Majabah, he was hit with a bolt of strange lightning too. "I hope that lightning didn't hurt anyone -ow" Mitsuki cupped his knee.  He was pretty sure it was cracked, if not broken.

_Splash_  “....chi…..i”

Having heard some noises coming from the distance. Mitsuki gritted his teeth, endured the pain and followed it by going from tree to tree. He wished Yaotome was here to cast white magic for him as it was so painful to walk on his knee. He did not even want to look at it, and he was a surgeon.

The wind was blowing stronger. Mitsuki hissed when he felt a bolt of pain every time he put his weight on the injured knee. “I need to get help…!”

His orange eyes lit up when at the end of the river where large stones blocked its course, Mitsuki saw figures of two men. One had green hair and the other had a dark blue-black hair. The dark-haired male was sitting on the ground with his back on a tree, breathing roughly with his mouth opened. That image burned onto Mitsuki’s mind. He could feel the pain from the young boy as if it was his own.

Because that was the little brother he was parted from, Izumi Iori.

“Iori!!! Oh my god Iori!!”

Mitsuki forgot about his wounded knee and stumbled forward to reach his little brother. He fell when he got close to Iori but he did not care. He put his hand on Iori’s forehead to find the boy was burning up.

“Mitsu?!?!” At first Yamato thought they were being attacked by a zombie. Luckily that was not the case. “Boy am I glad to see you” Yamato smiled for a short moment. “But Ichi…”

Mitsuki checked Iori’s pulse to find it was irregular. He was shocked. “Yamato-san, has Iori been sick?” The doctor was extremely worried. His brother did not notice him there. He was struggling and his symptoms were bad. Mitsuki did not understand how his healthy brother could get so sick. Did he come across anything poisonous? 

Yamato shook his head. “No. I swear, Ichi was perfectly fine earlier when all of a sudden he just collapsed and...be like this”

The wind was getting more and more violent to the point where it was hard for Yamato to stand without falling over. Mitsuki decided he had to do something to get his little brother to safety. He had to protect Iori.

“* _Huff*_  Nggghhh N-Nii-san” Iori unconsciously groaned. Immediately, Mitsuki took Iori’s cold hand and clasped it in his.

“I’m here, Iori. I’m right here”

Tears started forming in Mitsuki’s eyes. He had decided what would be the best course of action for the three of them. The injured doctor turned his head to Yamato. “Yamato-san, I have a request”

“Mitsu what-“ Yamato did not get to finish his sentence.

“Take Iori, go into town and get help” Mitsuki’s voice was uncontrollably shaky. “If you see a large mansion, go there and tell them you are my friend”

Yamato looked between Mitsuki’s teary face and swollen knee in disbelief. “W-what about you, Mitsu?” The scientist asked without really wanting to hear the answer because it would likely be something along the line of an obvious lie.

Mitsuki bit his lip. “I’ll figure something out.”

“I can’t just leave you here!” Yamato lashed out.

“It’s not like we have a choice!” Mitsuki shouted back. “Go!! Please, Yamato-san. You have to save Iori”

Yamato stood still for a brief moment before he bent down to carry Iori on his back. He looked at Mitsuki who just sat on the ground, unmoving, one last time.

“I’m sorry, Mitsu”

Once Yamato took off running and disappeared. Mitsuki started laughing like a man who had lost his mind. “Ahahaha! I’ve never thought I’d ever see that old man cry. Ahahahaha!...haha...uuuu * _sniffle*_ ”

The whirlwind made the water in the river fly, soaking the boy wet. His face should have been cold with that water on it. On the contrary, it was warm. “Iori...it was nice to see you again..* _sob*_ ” Mitsuki leaned his back on the very same tree, in the very same position Iori was earlier. 

“I hope you get well soon * _sob*_  and...and…”

“...Goodbye”

~~

- **Silica, District One** -

Dragon forme Tamaki and Riku could only watch one building after another collapsed around them.

“Sou-chan’s out of control…” Tamaki looked like he was ready to cry. The dragon was exhausted from flying with Riku riding on him while spinning and firing ice beams to avoid being hit by rubbles flying in the air. The two ended up in District 5 after getting hit by Sougo's lightning, not that they knew where they were. They were simply running for their lives. Right now, they were hiding under a small bridge made of concrete somewhere in District One with nowhere left to go. Everywhere else was destroyed, reverted to complete nothingness as if the lands or the living beings were never there. There were not many people left outside. They did not know what they should do to survive, so most of them hid in their houses. The Silicans who had seen the dragon all screamed and ran away in a panic. Then again, everyone was already panicking anyway.

Riku had tried casting a barrier for protecting themselves several times which ended up failing. Every time he felt like his windpipe was tightened whenever he tried casting a powerful spell. Nothing within the lord's body felt right. Even casting a simple fireball was proven tough for the once-mighty Nanase Riku.

“* _Huff_  *This cannot be happening” Riku was shaking in fear. “I cannot use magic” He was beyond devastated.

Tamaki was busy fighting off any rubbles flying their way. “ _Ha...ha…_  Rikkun…” The young dragon stopped for a moment and used his own enormous body to shield the lord from danger. “You need to accept yourself and what you have become” The dragon’s crystal eyes were deep blue in colour, showing how serious he was and how much he, no, the whole world needed Riku’s power to survive. “You are not a human, Rikkun. You can’t cast magic like one”

Riku gasped. He had known all along that he had 'changed'. It hurt even more when someone said the truth straight to his face. “Then tell me what I am” Riku muttered with a broken voice, not really wanting Tamaki to slap his face with reality.

“Huh?” The dragon tilted his head in confusion. He spread his wings further as if to remind Riku what sort of being he was. “You know it, Rikkun. Do it. Let your power and mine become one”

The lord just could not take it when his whole existence was simple wrong. “I cannot accept this” The lord’s eyes were teary. He got so emotional…

...especially when he thought about Gaku, about how much his fearless butler feared him that night.

“Rikkun” Tamaki attempted to speak in a gentler, softer voice. “You have to. The fate of the worlds depends on you. If you weren't here, everyone will die. Mikki won't see his brother, and you won't see Gakkun. Ever. Again.”

_Majabah needs a lord._

Tear started to fall as Riku recalled the face and the voice of his faithful butler.

“Gaku…” Riku spoke under his breath.

_A servant needs his master._

He placed one hand on top of another on his chest. “...will you be able to accept me?”

_Can’t you be a little more selfish? You are a person too._

”No” Riku shook his head and slapped his face with both hands twice. His broken gaze turned into one full of determination.

“You WILL accept me!”

A yellow aura expanded from Riku’s body. The lord felt a high surge of power coursing throughout his body. Instead of trying to create magic orbs around his body as a medium for casting a powerful spell, the lord let his body, powered by the dragon’s life force, be the medium for unleashing his ultimate magic. Within a second, he had managed to blacken the whole purple darkened sky with his void magic, absorbing the destructive whirlwinds in both Majabah and Silica like it was an easy feat.

“Yaaaaas” Tamaki smiled showing his crystal dragon fangs and let out a victory roar. “Go Rikkun!”

“Nggghhhh” Riku’s face twitched in pain as large scale magic required a strong mental strength otherwise he would lose his mind and the control of his magic power. That could not be allowed to happen.

“I shall save my people!” Riku shouted while force closing his palms, making the whirlwinds disappear along with the void covering the sky.

As for what happened after the lord stopped casting void magic, Riku did not get to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hewlo lovely people! I hope you like this chapter teehee~   
> Just to clarify - so the lightning that hit ppl at the canyon/rainbow hill sent those ppl to random places. I hope it was clear enough in the fic but just in case  
> i did my best to describe the scenes and settings T^T I know im not so good at it but i tried and i hope to get better the more i read/write fics  
> SOMEONE SAVE MITSOOKI!!!! PLEASE!!!! I CANTTTT   
> Comments and kudos are appreciated! ^^ Again I'm not scary @kenarkrsun is my twitter lol


	22. Attachment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST ALERT!! Sure there’s a bit of fluff in the middle but this could be rocky. I swear things will get better somehow ;P Also this chapter is longer than usual. Enjoy~!

- **Majabah, the Capital** -

Yamato was not an athlete, and probably was the exact opposite of it. He hated using his physical strength yet here he was, running for his life with Iori on his back. The scientist wished he had some sort of a machine with him that would enable him to carry Mitsuki as well. Obviously, it was only a dream. “How am I going to explain this to Ichi?” Yamato got emotional every time he thought about Mitsuki’s pleading face. He had just left his friend to die. Alone.

The green-haired scientist was almost at his limit by the time he reached the abandoned town in Majabah's capital. It was hard to stand ground when the whirlwind was fast approaching. It was almost like he was being chased. Either the townspeople had fled or they had been swallowed by the storm. Yamato feared it was the latter. The man shook his head, gritted his teeth and kept fighting. He promised Mitsuki to make sure Iori survives and he was going to do just that.

Yamato’s eyes widened when he saw what seemed to be two men also running away from the destructive force. “Wait!” Yamato shouted the loudest he could, hoping they would hear him. “PLEASE WAIT! WE NEED HELP!”

It worked. The figures seemed to have come to a standstill so Yamato dashed to them. To his surprise, he actually recognised one of them. “Yuki-san?!? You got here too?”

“You two know each other?” Momo looked between Yuki and Yamato then he noticed a  young boy on Yamato’s back. “Oh my lord!” Momo gasped and went to touch the boy’s cheek. “This isn’t good. It’s severe Magic Exhaustion!”

“Huh?” Yamato’s mouth dropped. “Ichi can’t use magi-”

“No, he can” Yuki corrected it bluntly. Iori’s life was more important right now. “There is a reason”

“Well now is not the time. You look very tired. Here, I'll carry him" Momo bent forward a little to show he was ready. Yamato was thankful for it. He gently placed pretty-much-unconscious Iori on the older man's back.  Momo then sang to make the ground behind them rise into a large wall to slow down the incoming whirlwind. “We’re almost at the mansion!”

And that was when the ‘miracle’ happened. Before the sky turned into a pretty shade of blue, it darkened, and the whirlwinds were taken care of.

~~

“Nggghhhh * _gasp*_ ”

“Ichi you’ve got to hang in there”

Yamato, Yuki and Momo surrounded Iori who was put on a futon inside an empty room in the Nanase mansion. They were the only ones there. Some of the servants perhaps panicked and fled, not that there were many to begin with. Momo said the rest accompanied the head maid Tsumugi, Sousuke and Otoharu to help townspeople the best they could.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. No one had said anything after Yuki and Yamato found out they could only pray for Iori to survive Magic Exhaustion and that there was no other way to help relieve the symptoms. Momo did his best to make sure the boy was comfortable by wiping his body with a cold towel to reduce the temperature.

“Mitsuki’s brother huh? He is still so young…” Having listened to Yamato’s story, Momo’s heart was full of sadness it could burst. He had only known Mitsuki for a short time yet the doctor was one of the best people he had ever met. The geomancer had no idea Mitsuki was from Silica until just now. “Why did this have to happen? It’s too...sad” Momo cried thinking how the brothers who were suddenly parted would never reunite ever again. There was a very high chance Mitsuki did not survive because the whirlwind had destroyed all of Majabah, leaving only the Capital standing tall. No reports needed to be made to know the towns in the Captial were wrecked, and that the population number was reduced by at least more than half.

Yuki was thankful no one had asked about Iori’s ability to use magic. He only confirmed Iori could use magic because he thought Momo could cure the boy. There was curiosity shown on Yamato’s face though it seemed he could sense something was up and was holding back. Momo was busy trying to extract some sort of aromatic oil from the garden herbs he gathered in case it could help Iori relax and get through his pain faster. Yuki watched how Momo worked so diligently. How Momo managed to smile despite being in a grim situation amazed Yuki. Watching Momo made him feel unexplainably calm and maybe even happy.

~~

- **Silica, District One** -

Gaku stood still in the middle of the road, not that he knew he was not supposed to stand there since no sane person would be driving at a time like this. He carried Tenn in his arms, bridal style. The butler’s face was pale from the shock of watching how the whirlwinds were taken care of. No one in the world could cast void magic. No one other than his lord. And for Riku to have made the whole sky covered with the dark void, Gaku felt his body shaking so much he could drop Tenn on the hard ground right at that moment.

“M-my lord…” Gaku let out a voice that almost went unheard before letting out a very loud scream. “NANASE-SAMA NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” The butler collapsed to his knees, feeling like he could not get any oxygen to his lungs no matter how hard he tried to breathe. He had surely lost the man he loved, for the second time. Gaku wanted to burn himself right on the spot when guilt hit him like a big wave. He had hurt Riku’s feeling by not accepting him when he needed that approval the most. That night at the inn, even when he thought he loved Riku no matter what, he had failed to say it to the sweet guy. He should have pulled Riku into an embrace, telling him it was okay, telling him he would never have to walk alone.

And now Gaku had lost the chance to do so forever.

Like a mad man, Gaku wept. He squeezed Tenn’s shoulder and waist tighter. “Tenn...how am I supposed to go on?” Of course, Gaku received no reply from the boy who was barely breathing.

“You can still save him!”

Messy Gaku looked up to find a tall man with brunette hair standing right in front of him, staring down with a kind pair of yellow eyes. The man’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shaped when he could see the unconscious boy’s face clearly. “Tenn-kun…!”

~~

Gaku was in a daze the whole time. You could say he was a body without a soul. He did not remember how he got to the ‘hospital’. He watched doctors and nurses running around with injured people on wheeled white beds. This hospital was extremely crowded, to the point where three patients were put in a single room. Tenn was isolated though. Why? Five doctors worked together yet they could not figure out what was wrong with Tenn. Right now Tenn was being given some oxygen and some liquid medicines via an IV drip. The doctors gave their reports to the brown-haired man who appeared very concerned about Tenn. After that, the doctors excused themselves saying there was nothing more they could do at that moment and that they would check back later.

Gaku sat on a white stool with a bent back. He looked nothing like the prideful Yaotome Gaku, servant of the high lord of Majabah. The brown-haired man grabbed another stool and sat right next to the butler, gently placing a hand on the stranger's shoulder. “Tenn-kun will be okay. He is in good hands. Everything will be alrigh-”

The last sentence sent Gaku into a rage. He stood up and pulled out his shuriken, pointing it at the other man’s face. “Don’t talk like you understand a thing!” When Gaku realised he was pointing a weapon at someone who was helping him and Tenn, he put it away and began to breakdown. “I’m sorry” Gaku sat back down and buried his face in his hands, crying.

The man did not realise he had held his breath. He took one full breath before putting his arm over Gaku’s shoulder this time and used his thumb to rub it in a reassuring way. “It’s okay…” He whispered. He could not possibly get angry at someone who was in such a state even though that was scary as hell. “I know you are in a lot of pain” When Gaku kept weeping without saying anything, the man tried his best to find some sort of way to distract him. “I’m Ryuu. What’s your name?”

Gaku paused for a moment before answering. “Gaku. Yaotome Gaku.”

Ryuu smiled warmly. He went to get a bottle of water from the table behind him and handed it to the butler. “So Gaku-kun...you are a magician like Tenn, right?”

Gaku looked at the water bottle curiously. “We’re called magic users...” He trailed off when he did not know how to work the bottle. “How do you use this?”

“Ah” Ryuu took it back and twisted the plastic cap open for Gaku. “Here. Sorry I forgot that our worlds are so different”

Gaku blinked twice before taking a sip. When he was sure it was water he took big gulps he did not know he needed. Eyeing Ryuu, he asked “How do you know that?”

Ryuu looked at sleeping Tenn on the hospital bed. “Iori-kun came to ask my husband and me for help when Tenn-kun suddenly appeared. I got to show Tenn-kun around and I learned about his world along the way.”

“Wait” Gaku almost choked. “You married a man?”

“Yes” Ryuu looked confused. “Is it so strange?”

“Gay marriage is not against the rules in Majabah” Gaku spoke straightforwardly, avoiding eye contact with Ryuu when he himself was gay. “A lot of people find it hard to accept though” Gaku was not the most open-minded but since he met Mitsuki, he had learned to accept differences in people and culture. “Where is your husband then?”

Ryuu shook his head. His face turned sad. “He went to the Rainbow Hill to carry out some experiments earlier. I’ve tried cal- um, I mean, contacting him several times but…” The oldest sighed.

“I’m sorry to hear” Gaku sympathized with the guy. He could not bring himself to give Ryuu false hope that his husband could be around when only Silica District One survived the calamity.

~~

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion** -

The next morning, Yuki followed Momo into the garden for no reason whatsoever. Since Momo was so focused on his work in keeping the mansion’s garden alive and well, he did not notice Yuki was quietly observing him from far behind. Tsumugi and the others had yet to come back so Momo had got to do his best to keep everything pretty.

The former idol’s eyes opened wide upon hearing Momo’s voice full of uniqueness and cheerfulness. He was in awe when plants in the garden started to grow and soon bore fruits, ready for harvest. When the fruits were big enough to Momo’s liking, he stopped his song and smiled like a proud mother.

“Now you’re all happy! Time to clear out the weed-KYAAAAAAAA” Momo turned around swiftly just to find Yuki standing right in front of him. Like, there was no ‘personal space’ between them. Their faces were so close to touching. Momo froze when he could feel Yuki’s warm breath on his face. His deep pink eyes got a full view of Yuki’s face and he was not complaining.

“I-Ikemen” Momo said it out loud. There was no way he could leave without saying it. He blushed hard when Yuki slowly lifted his fingers up to touch his chin.

“You’re so bright” Yuki spoke with his quiet but pretty voice which charmed Momo even more. Yuki was mesmerized by Momo’s lovely personality just as much as how Momo was enchanted by Yuki’s princely features.

Yuki moved his right hand up to cup Momo’s right cheek. Yuki leaned his head forward, little by little. Momo swore Yuki could hear his heartbeat as it was beating harder the closer Yuki’s lips came close to touching his own. As if Momo was enticed by a spell, he closed his eyes and waited for the moment. Slowly and gently, Yuki pressed his lips onto Momo’s. To his surprise, there was no sign of rejection from the Majabahn. Momo welcomed the sweet taste of Yuki’s lips which was accompanied by the prince’s calming scent.

The two pulled away at almost the same time. This time, Yuki’s face showed the same colour as Momo’s - peach pink.

“Eh…? Eh?!? Ehhhh?!?!?” Momo was at a loss of what to do when he realised what he had just done. That was his first time. He lost his first kiss to a stranger whom he only learned the name not that long ago.

“....” Yuki covered his mouth with the side of his hand. He seemed just as confused even though he was the one who initiated the kiss.

While it might have been one of the lamest ways to escape, Momo said it anyway. “Umm...Orikasa-san-“

“Yuki” The former idol cut him off and gave Momo an intimidating gaze.

“Okay...Yuki-san, I, um, need to get back to work now so…” Momo tried to turn and walk away from the handsome man but flinched when he felt his wrist being grabbed.

“Wait, Momo” Spoke Yuki. “I’ll help”

~~

“Iori”

Iori found himself in a field full of beautiful flowers of various colours such as pink, red, purple, blue and yellow. The area smelled so fresh like spring and the breeze was just right.

Iori felt so relaxed that he wanted to stay here forever. He was about to sit down when he saw a familiar figure not too far away from him. It was a relatively short man with bright orange hair. Iori’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Nii-san!”

Iori called out to his brother and began to run towards him, but no matter how much he ran, he could not get closer to the man he wanted to see the most.

Iori panicked, tripped and fell on his face. To make things worse, when he looked up, his brother was nowhere in sight.

“Nii-san!!!”

Iori opened his eyes to find himself in a Japanese-styled room which smelled exactly like in his dream. He slowly sat up, used his hands to rub his eyes. When he looked to the right, he found Yamato staring at him with a straight face.

“Hey Ichi” Yamato greeted the boy and said nothing more.

Iori felt groggy and dizzy. After all, he had just managed to recover from Magic Exhaustion. Without thinking, he asked one of the last questions Yamato wanted to hear. “Nikaido-san, where’s Nii-san?”

Yamato let out his shaky breath. “Ichi, listen…”

A moment later, Iori was wrapped around in Yamato’s arm as he mourned the loss of his brother. It was truly a painful sight.

~~

- **Silica, SkySilica** -

As soon as Tenn recovered and was discharged the next morning, Ryuu got a call from the Regulator Nagi. Actually, Nagi was trying to call Yamato to see if his old friend was alright but he could not reach the scientist’s cell phone so he tried contacting Ryuu instead.

Ryuu, with Gaku and Tenn tagging along, went to meet Nagi at the top floor of SkySilica. That entire floor was a large room with clear windows acting as walls, normally for visitors to see a city view from the top. There was nothing else in the room other than one large deep blue meeting table made of some sort of shiny metal and 8 office chairs.

“Amazing” Gaku exclaimed. He could not believe he was standing so high up in the sky. And the machine (elevator) that took him here - it was mind-blowing. Tenn also had never been here so he was fascinated as well, though he would never show it.

What shocked them even more was when the Regulator pointed for them to look out the window. “Please take a look” he said. Ryuu’s mouth dropped when he could see the city or Silica District One, but in the far distance to the east, the blue sky and clouds had replaced what were supposed to be buildings and lands. Far to the west, it was the opposite.  He could see a place with some strange-looking brown wooden house-like buildings where it used to have nothing.

“No way” Gaku ran forward to touch the glass wall. “That’s Majabah!”

“The two worlds...are connected?” Tenn was the second to join Gaku in standing with his face touching the glass window.

Nagi nodded while being deep in thought. “So it  _really_ is Majabah.”

“Isn’t this bad?” Ryuu raised a very good point. “People could wander into another world and panic” There could be bad consequences due to the differences. The worst-case scenario would be war. Silicans could think Majabahns were invading them when they did not know about each other’s existence before and vice versa.

Tenn walked to Nagi. “You are the Regulator. Aren’t you supposed to do something?” He frowned. He had never placed much trust and respect in Nagi but even then he was surprised Nagi had not done something already. 

“ _Oh_ ” Nagi made a disappointed face and shook his head. “I am planning to make an  _announcement_  but there is a  _problem_ ”

“And what is that?” Gaku asked.

Nagi sighed. “While it is possible to broadcast my  _beautiful_  voice to both worlds,” Tenn rolled his eyes upon hearing the self-complimented word. “People of Silica would likely listen to their Regulator, but  _what_ aboutthe people of your world? From what I know you have a ruling  _lord_?”

Gaku bit his lip in frustration and pain. He was once again reminded that his lord was gone, taken so cruelly away from him all because Riku was trying to save the world. Seeing Gaku’s strange reaction, Tenn turned to glare at Gaku. As he had no choice, the butler spoke with his shaky voice. “I-I am afraid we no longer have one”

“What?” Tenn looked at Gaku in disbelief. “What happened to the high lord?” Tenn was not pleased when Gaku just shook his head. “Then what about the young lord?” Tenn was referring to Riku. The boy did not know that Riku took on the ruling a few years ago. “The young lord could take over right?”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Gaku lashed out. He lost control of his emotion again. Tenn’s eyes widened in shock. “Gaku, calm down!” Ryuu did not understand why Gaku lost it but he could see how much pain Gaku was feeling.

“My lord has passed away!” Gaku shouted, tears running down from his eyes. “High lord Nanase Riku-sama is dead!”

Tenn froze before losing his balance. “Tenn-kun!” Ryuu quickly caught Tenn to prevent him from hitting the hard ground.

“You’re telling me…” Tenn started hyperventilating from a panic attack. “...that my little brother is dead?” Conveniently, Tenn’s memory came back to him as if to laugh at him. Before he passed out, the world was being destroyed. When he woke up this morning, there were no whirlwinds or lightning strikes. Gaku had not said a single word to him since he woke up. Ryuu described to him how the purple sky suddenly darkened and the whirlwinds disappeared. Now Tenn knew the truth. The sky did not just turn darker on its own. It was the work of a powerful void magic, the magic only the Nanase was capable of casting. It would make sense how Gaku knew his lord was dead without being with him. No one needed to explain what the use of the magic of that scale would do to the body, and Riku was not strong physically.

The air in SkySilica top floor was filled with grief and the constant sound of sobs which reminded everyone the silence did not mean peace.

~~

- **???** -

“It’s not over” Full dragon forme Tamaki muttered to himself. “Sou-Chan’s probs unconscious after losing control of his power. Once he wakes up, the calamity will start again”

“ _Ha..Ha-cough cough!_   _cough_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo lovely people~ how was that?? Did i manage to deliver enough angst? Fufufufu :P  
> YUKI AND MOMO!?!?!?!?!?!?!  
> I wanna hug Iori and Gaku T^T the poor boys  
> Ryuu was such a kind big bro ><  
> Once again if you want teasers of next updates etc 'kenarkrsun' is my Twitter ^^  
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated!!!!


	23. Temporary Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again lovely ppl this chapter is over 3K words teehee~ Enjoy!

- **Majabah, the Capital** -

Otoharu and his men made their way back to Sousuke after having searched the whole capital. Otoharu discovered that some parts of the eastern part of Majabah capital, where it used to be just the sky before, were connected to Silica.

“It really is quite chaotic, Yaotome” Otoharu spoke with a concerned voice. “Some Silicans have wandered into our world and get scared by magic. Many of them think they are being attacked.” He opened his red eyes to reveal how serious he was. “Plus Gaku-kun is yet to be found. I would not be so surprised if he ends up in Silica since a gap in Nijiiro Canyon has disappeared and is replaced with land. Silica can be reached from there. None has also located Nanase-sama’s remains…assuming it was the high lord's magic that stopped the whirlwinds” 

Sousuke clicked his tongue in frustration. “Just where is that idiotic son of mine?!?”

~~

- **Silica, SkySilica** -

Ryuu and Nagi could only eye the two grieving Majabahns sympathetically. While they did not fully understand Tenn and Gaku’s situations, they saw how important the existence of a lord was to Majabah. In Silica, a Regulator and a panel of high ranked scientists are elected and changed every few years to make sure the world evolves in the direction people want.

Tenn had been crying silently in the corner of the room. He knew there was not much time for him to grieve if he wanted to keep the worlds’ peace. He wiped his tears with his hand, turned around and walked back to where Ryuu and Nagi were standing. Gaku was nearby, sitting on an office chair with his forehead buried in his palm.

“Gaku, you should take care of the announcement”

Gaku turned to look at Tenn with his mouth opened as if to say something. He closed it, before opening it again once he managed to sort out his thought, or more like once his anger came back fully. “Stupid brat! You are asking a servant to take the lord’s place. Have you gone insane?”

“Face the reality, Gaku” Tenn argued back with his shaky voice. He himself did not want to face it. “Your lord is dead!” The boy avoided saying his brother’s name. “It’s the end of the Nanase! As a Yaotome, you are in charge of the authority anyway. What difference would that-“

Gaku stood up furiously. Without leaving Tenn a chance to finish his sentence, he grabbed his shuriken and cut Tenn’s face, leaving a large bleeding wound starting from the boy’s right ear to the corner of his lips. Tenn’s eyes widened when he saw blood in his hand. He had never thought Gaku would dare hurt him.

Ryuu and Nagi panicked. “ _NO! No violence please!_ ” Ryuu wanted to intervene, but he was not sure how. Gaku was obviously trained in combat, anyone could tell. Ryuu would never be able to touch him, let alone pin him to the ground. “Gaku-kun  _that’s too far!_ ” He accidentally shouted in another accent. Nagi was more than capable when it comes to self-defence. The downside was he did not know how magic works and could not put the people around him at risk if Gaku were to launch some sort of counterattack.

Gaku glared at Tenn. His anger could be seen through his red eyes. “YOU! You have no fucking idea how much my lord has sacrificed for the sake of his people and now you are saying such treacherous things!” Gaku raised his hand, ready to punch Tenn’s face when Nagi and Ryuu steeled their hearts and jumped in to pull Gaku’s arms. “Oi let go of me!” Gaku struggled and shouted. Ryuu and Nagi were about to run out of strength when they heard the sound of the glass wall breaking.

“Gaku, that is enough!”

A young boy with red hair and a glowing yellow aura surrounding his body jumped off from the back of the mighty white dragon who came to a stop at the high-up ‘entrance’ they forced open. The dragon’s ice beam and the redhead’s fireball were more than enough to destroy Silica’s toughest glass. The dragon’s body was too large to enter so it transformed into a human and stood behind the red-haired man.

“Na...Nanase-sama..!”

~~

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion** -

“Whoa! hold it right there Ichi”

Yamato ran after the high school boy who quickly walked out of the mansion room. “Where are you going?” The older man grabbed Iori’s wrist.

“Please let go of me, Nikaido-san” Iori looked at Yamato’s face with his teary eyes. “Nii-san could still be out there”

“I don’t think you should leave” Momo and Yuki were the next to follow. There was concern shown on their faces. “I know how you feel. Trust me, but we don’t know what’s out there. It’s dangerous that’s for sure.” Yuki tried to convince Iori it was a bad idea.

“Let’s wait until the head maid come back. After that, we can go look together?” Momo glanced at Yuki who nodded in approval.

Iori sighed. If he could not go out to look for his Nii-san now, might as well gather some information. “Sunohara-san, you said you knew Nii-san right?”

Momo hesitated slightly thinking about how he first met Mitsuki. “U-um yeah. We are both serving Nanase-sama so-“

Iori frowned. He did not like what he was hearing at all. He had all the scenarios running in his head: the Nanase forced his beloved Nii-san to do all sorts of hard labour work. He was infuriated when he thought about how a respected doctor had to take strict orders from a cruel lord who had coldly disowned one of his children simply because of the lack of magic power. His Nii-san’s life was under the Nanase’s control. Iori could not accept that. “You are saying Nii-san was being used?” The high school boy spoke with a shaky voice. Momo flinched upon hearing those words.

“No, Iori. Choosing to serve Nanase-sama was my decision”

The youngest’s eyes widened upon hearing the familiar voice. Without having to turn around to see the voice owner’s face, Iori knew who that was. Yamato’s mouth hung agape as the vision before him seemed too unreal to be true.

An orange-haired boy and a blond woman stood a few metres away from the other four. “.... _sniffle_ ” The shorter man started to cry seeing his little brother in good health. “Iori * _sob*_  I-I’m so glad you’re okay…”

It should have been a happy moment for everyone. For some reason, there was horror in the other’s four faces. Yuki covered his mouth. Momo held his breath without knowing he did while Iori gasped loudly. Yamato sweatdropped. He pointed at his old friend and spoke. “M-Mitsu...where is your leg?”

Mitsuki had his right arm around Tsumugi’s waist. The maid seemed to be depressed. No one had to explain why - Mitsuki’s right leg was gone with only a short part of his thigh remained. The doctor wiped his tears and smiled even though he wanted to cry out loud for many reasons. “W-why do you look at me like that? I am okay. I’ve only lost a leg.” His shaky voice told the opposite story.

Once everyone sat down on the floor inside a room in the mansion, Mitsuki told them what happened. When he was crying in the forest where the whirlwind was fast approaching, his Beastmaster power activated. A few small animals could hear Mitsuki’s cry and braved themselves to rush into a town to call for help. Luckily Tsumugi took a hint and quickly followed the animals to find Mitsuki wrapping his arms around a tree and biting his lips in excruciating pain.

“My knee was shattered” Mitsuki continued. “It would have taken too long for white magic to mend the tiny pieces of broken bone completely and the whirlwind would have caught up to us.” Tsumugi said her apology again. “So…” Mitsuki took a deep breath. The sensation he felt at that moment came back to him and he wanted to vomit. “I-I told Tsumugi to..to...cut my leg off and…”

“Nii-san that’s enough” Iori wept with his head resting on Mitsuki’s chest. Mitsuki had never seen Iori so out of control like this ever since they had lost their parents.

“It’s okay, Iori. It’s okay” Mitsuki ruffled his little brother’s head with a lot of care. His tears were rolling down non-stop too. They had missed each other so much. “Hopefully I can get a mechanical leg in Silica” Mitsuki was not sure if he was saying that to help ease Iori’s or his own pain. Oh, and yes, Tsumugi had made sure everyone knew about the situations around them. Otoharu, Sousuke and their men were trying their best to solve any problems within Majabah’s border. Majabah could not act without a lord, who was not present right now.

Mitsuki buried his head in his hands when he heard about what Yamato and Iori were trying to do at Silica’s Rainbow Hill. “Oh no no no no no what have you guys done?”

Momo’s nice nature immediately activated and it made Yuki’s heart bloomed. “Well, It’s understandable, right? Since you don’t know that um..lowering the wall ‘energy’ would make the whole world go...boom! And, and even if you didn’t do it, this could happen anyway with the keeper being out so of control”

After everyone was calm enough thanks to Momo's positive cheer, they agreed on staying focused on going forward and discussed their next steps. Mitsuki and the Majabahns did not want to think about what would happen once Gaku and Riku learned about what the Silicans did. “I’m pretty sure Nanase-sama and Yaotome will return. So in the meantime…” Mitsuki put his hand on his chin, being deep in thought. He took the lead on this plan without realising it. “...I would love to go back to Silica to get a mechanical leg myself but I can’t walk” After all Tsumugi helped rescue Mitsuki using her powerful object manipulation magic. The doctor also mentioned he wanted some inhalers. Iori could not understand why. No one here seemed to be having a respiratory problem. Then again, he could just ask his brother later.

Yamato could tell Iori wanted to stay with his brother so he was about to volunteer when Momo got to it first. “I’ll go with Yuki!” Momo raised his right hand up energetically. His left arm took hold of Yuki’s. “I wanna see what’s it’s like there” The geomancer’s eyes lit up. Yuki did not seem to mind Momo’s decision at all. Yamato could not help but wondered how the two got so close within such a short time.

Everything was settled except one thing was bugging Mitsuki, so he questioned Yuki while handing the guy his ID for the hospital. “Wait...aren’t you Yuki-san from Re:vale? No, you ARE Re:vale’s Yuki-san! I’m your fan!!!” However, Yuki only gave Mitsuki a sad smile in return. “Ah thank you, Mitsuki-kun. I’m afraid Re:vale is disbanded”

“EHHHHH?!?!?” Not believing what he was hearing, Mitsuki questioned further. “How come? You guys were doing so well though??”

Yuki kept his sad smile. “My partner, Ban, died in an accident, so there is no more Re:vale”

While Mitsuki was offering his condolences, Momo could not help wondering what they were talking about.  _Partner? Re:vale?_

And he was determined to find out more about it.

~~

- **Silica, SkySilica** -

Riku walked forward. Each step he took was so graceful no one had to say he was someone important.

“Silicans” Riku made eye contact with Nagi and Ryuu. “I apologise for my servant’s humiliating display” Riku smiled, though it was not pure, and his amber eyes glowed even more. Riku was totally in character as the mighty lord of Majabah who was feared by people. “May I ask you to release him? I assure you he will be punished accordingly”

Ryuu sweatdropped. He was the first to unhand Gaku. The lord of Majabah looked so young yet so terrifying and what was even more terrifying was he could not tell why. And  _what_  was the boy behind the lord - a dragon??? Tenn also shared the same eyes as Ryuu. He had never seen his twin brother so...almighty and influential. Something about him was off and he could not pinpoint what.

Nagi seemed to be the only one who could keep his composure, well, some of it anyway. “ _Certainly_ , but if I may ask, your lordship, your servant seems to have gone through a very traumatic experience.  _Please_  keep his punishment light.” Nagi let Gaku go. The butler immediately went on one knee and bowed his head. So did Tenn.

“Oh?” Riku raised his eyebrow to show he was interested in Nagi. “Who might you be?” The redhead hated acting this way but he knew he did not have a choice when tradition had to come first, and he was ‘overseas’.

“Allow me to introduce myself, your lordship” Nagi put one hand on his chest and bowed to Riku. “I am Nagi Valhart von Northmare, the current Regulator of Silica. Our world has no ruling  _lord_. Now if I may be so bold, I am capable of making decisions for our people in times of need such as this.”

Riku seemed pleased with Nagi’s representation as he gave the beautiful Regulator a reserved smile. “Very well, Nagi. As you are aware, I am the lord of Majabah, Nanase Riku. Now if you will excuse me for a minute…” Riku turned to use white magic to heal the cut on Tenn’s face.

“I thank you for your kindness, High lord Nanase-sama” Tenn spoke, taking care not to grit his teeth. No, he did not mind being inferior to Riku, but every part of his body wanted to lunge at the boy and hug him tightly. Riku smiled briefly at his twin brother before turning back to speak with Nagi.

Nagi let Riku see the view of how the two worlds connect then proceeded to explain how he wished to make an announcement that would need Riku’s cooperation. Riku, of course, accepted the proposal. We all know by now he would do anything for his people.

Riku watched curiously while Nagi was preparing some equipment including an enormous voice amplifier. He was trying so hard to tell his childish side not to go “Waaah” or “What is that?!”. Luckily for him, Tamaki was the one doing that. Ryuu, being a nice big brother, explained everything to Tamaki in detail.

Gaku was dying to know how Riku was here right now. He understood now was not the time for questions so he stayed quiet and waited for any order his lord may have for him.

Once the preparation was ready, Nagi and Riku stood in front of a stand with a microphone on the top. Nagi was the first to start by introducing himself and gathering the attention of the people in both Silica and Majabah. Specifically, he focused on speaking to the Silicans. “With Silica being a world of science, it may be hard for us Silicans to accept the existence of magic, yet the unexpected has happened. The best way would be for us to accept the reality and keep moving forward together. Majabah does not mean to do us harm, so I would like to ask people of Silica to be kind to them now that some parts of our worlds are connected.”

Most people from Silica stopped what they were doing to listen to the announcement. While they were not obliged to follow Nagi’s request, they had never been at war. They knew they would not stand a chance against the people from Majabah who seemed to be armed with both weapons and magic. They would choose to keep peace over anything. In fact, Silica being a scientific world made the people quite curious by nature. Many Silicans wanted to learn more about the new world and new people that just appeared before them, but fear had conquered their hearts until Nagi’s speech helped ease their minds.

However, the people of Majabah were confused. They searched around to find where the voice was coming from. They, including Yaotome Sousuke, saw this announcement as a threat until they heard another voice taking over it.

“People of Majabah, I am your high lord, Nanase Riku.”

Immediately the magic users gasped in shock, went on their knees and bowed their heads to the ground. No one would dare claim to be a Nanase so they believed it really was their lord speaking. The Silicans who got to Majabah were pretty surprised by that display.

“I assure you all Nagi and I have met and spoken. I shall respect Silica’s tradition and I trust my people will do the same. In return, I ask that Silicans respect our rules while you are in Majabah. Regardless of your birthplace, those who commit crimes in Majabah shall not be tolerated.”

Most Majabahns took heed and spoke “yes high lord Nanase-sama” in their shaky voice. Yaotome and Otoharu understood their new duty - making sure the Silicans are welcomed.

To end the speech, Riku and Nagi exchanged a glance before speaking together. “Peace shall be kept between our worlds”

The Silicans clapped their hands to show they were happy with their Regulator’s decision.

Nagi turned off the mic. “Looks like it went well, your lordship” He made a thumbs up eccentrically. Tenn facepalmed hard. He could not believe this blond was the same person who came up with the peace treaty.

“Please, Riku is fine” Riku gave a reserved smile to show Nagi has earned his trust when actually Riku did not really have any doubts on him the moment they met. “Now, I must return to Majabah. We both have problems to be solved, have we not?” Riku referred to the restoration of the towns.

“ _OH wait!_ ” Nagi grabbed Riku’s wrist, making Gaku stand on his feet with his shuriken ready. Ryuu gulped. He just could not get used to it. The butler relaxed and put away his weapon only when Nagi made a fantastic offer. Nagi said Silica’s construction AI can help greatly speed up buildings restoration and can easily copy Majabahn’s building structures so he wanted to offer that help. Gaku did not believe it when Nagi said all buildings in both worlds could be restored in two days time. Tenn managed to convince Gaku that it was true and he had seen it with his own eyes when Silica District One was destroyed.

Riku accepted the offer with heartfelt gratitude. In return, Riku agreed to send some white magic users to heal people who suffered physical injuries to reduce Silica hospitals' workload.

Just before Riku left the place with Tamaki and Gaku, he turned to face his twin brother who remained still. “Tenn, will you not return with us?”

Tenn’s eyes widened. He did not think he would be invited back to the very same mansion he was kicked out of. Tenn turned sad when he thought about Iori. He did not know what happened to the boy and if he was okay. At the same time, he wanted to spend some time with Riku. Ryuu took a hint that Tenn was conflicted. The man walked forward to place his warm hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Tenn-kun, you should go. I’ll search for Iori-kun while I look for my husband”

“ _YES don’t worry_ ” Nagi got his crazy self back. “I’ll help too! Leave Silica to us! You are welcomed back at any time!”

With that, Tenn thanked the two and joined Riku, thinking he would look for Iori in Majabah while reminding himself to be careful about his magic limit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I know some parts may seem rushed but its not my intention. I assume ppl don't want to be told the same info over and over again such as how the barrier/wall broke which is why i didnt put in that part of the conversation for Yamato,Iori,Mitsu etc group. There are so many things i want written out be it GakuTenn, TennRiku, RikuIo, IoMitsu, MitsuRiku, IoTenn, etc but ill see what i can do. That being said feel free to leave comments about this! Kudos are also greatly appreciated!  
> I told you things were going to get better somehow right? :P  
> Is it just me or i feel bad for Gaku the most?  
> 'kenarkrsun' is my twitter if you wanna chat ^^


	24. Monstrous Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Throwback to how Riku survived the calamity. Riku found out about Mitsuki's disability and met the Izumi brothers, but it did not go so well....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Lovely People! Kenar is back with an update. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to write Christmas fic or make Christmas art so take this as a present okay? Merry Christmas!! [If you don't celebrate it - which I actually don't really either - just accept this present XD] Again, this chapter is over 3K words. I wanted to make it longer but then it wouldn't end in a cliffhanger *evil grin*. Okay, Enjoy!!!

- **Silica, District One, Before the announcement-**

" _Ha..Ha-cough cough!_ _cough_ "

Riku curled up on the floor, struggling to get air into his lungs. His asthma was giving him hell. To his surprise, there were no symptoms of Magic Exhaustion. He did not feel his magic rebelling and trying to take over his body. Good. He was having enough trouble as is.

"Wahhh Rikkun's medicine" Tamaki used his dragon claws for ripping Riku's blazer and any clothes underneath apart in an attempt to find the medicine in a panic. Once he found it, Tamaki transformed into a human, helped Riku sit up and made the boy inhale the handmade medicine through his mouth.

Good thing Riku's attack calmed down within 5 minutes. The problem was...his clothes were ripped and he was sitting there shirtless. "Tamaki, you do realise white magic cannot mend clothes, right?"

"I was scared, okay?!? You looked like you were dying" Human forme Tamaki argued. "I've seen Mikki help you with your attacks but he's never told me where you keep your medicine" He was clearly pouting. Left without a choice, Tamaki transformed into a baby dragon and pulled a patch of fluffy white fur from his body. "Wah?! What are you doing?" Riku was surprised by Tamaki's action.

"Doooooon't worry~ My fur grows back fast, see?" Tamaki pointed to that spot he just picked from. The bald patch was no longer there. "Here, use my fur to make your clothes"

"And how am I supposed to-" Riku took hold of the fur. He was about to ask for instructions when there was a 'poof' sound. The smoke completely covered the fur. When it disappeared, Riku's clothes that he had just lost were in his hands. "Unbelievable" They were brand new and sparkling clean. 

Tamaki transformed back into a human and smiled proudly. "See? Do you understand now, Rikkun?" Tamaki continued when Riku tilted his head in confusion. "Imma dragon. Dragons are created by Sou-chan to help look after human worlds, so I possess the power similar to him - the power of creation"

"The power of...creation?" Riku finished buttoning his glittering and stunning red and gold blazer and stood up.

"Yeah" Tamaki nodded happily. The dragon gave the lord a friendly push on the shoulder, which turned out to be so forceful it made Riku stumble. "You have that power too...well...you don't, but it helps with your magic. Anyway, hey, Rikkun is a half-dragon!"

Riku has never seen such a wide and genuine smile on Tamaki's face."You seem very happy. Why is that?"

"It's been so long since I had a dragon friend!" Tamaki jumped in to hug Riku, which surprised the redhead. It actually felt nice for someone to be so casual with him.

After that conversation, Riku rode on Tamaki's full dragon forme's back, hoping to return to Majabah. On their way, they passed the SkySilica and happened to see Gaku, and most shockingly, fighting Tenn whom Riku had spent the longest time looking for. The two did not know how to get in, so they broke the glass wall to enter.

~~

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion, Nighttime** -

By the time Riku got back to his mansion with Gaku, Tenn and Tamaki, it was nighttime. They were having a quick meeting with Otoharu and Sousuke beforehand. Tenn's blood boiled when his gaze met Sousuke's, but the two knew not to say anything to each other with the high lord present.

Upon the group's arrival, Tsumugi and Momo told there were 3 rescued Silicans staying at the mansion and that Mitsuki returned with a disability. The two servants wanted to apologize for taking people in without permission but were interrupted by Riku's hurt expression. Gaku felt a strong wave of nausea hearing about what happened to Mitsuki's leg to the point that he had to excuse himself. The butler was after all traumatised by his own experience of having limbs torn apart. Seeing Gaku stumbled away, Tenn volunteered to go check on Gaku. Dragon-forme Tamaki was too tired to care about anything, so he went off to find a quiet, chilly spot in the garden to sleep.

"I shall see Mitsuki" It was supposed to be a lord's order but Riku's voice came out so weakly. Not only he felt responsible for not being able to protect all of Majabah, but he also made one of his dearest friends suffer time and time again.

A moment later, Momo announced his presence before carefully sliding a room door open. Momo's eyes almost teared up when he saw sleeping Iori curling up in Mitsuki's arm. The boy's head was resting on Mitsuki's left leg. A gentle hum stopped sounding from the older brother who was sitting on a futon with the blanket shoved to the side when he noticed he was not alone with Iori.

"Oh hello, Momo-san" Mitsuki turned to smile at the Geomancer. Although, it was easy to see that smile was partly forced.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt" Momo spoke with his quietest voice. Still, it was loud enough for Iori to notice. "Ah! Sorry to wake you, Iori-kun!"

Mitsuki's smile completely disappeared when Momo slid the door open further to reveal the high lord standing right beside him. A shock could be seen from the doctor's pale face. He was hoping he would not have to face the kind lord before he got his mechanical leg from Silica.

"Nii-san, what's wrong?" Iori worriedly asked. He forced himself to focus the moment he turned his head to find a stranger at the door.

Mitsuki stared into Riku's eyes, and those were the pair of eyes that squeezed his heart tightly. He was not sure why he could deal with seeing Iori crying his eyes out but not with seeing Riku covering his mouth with tears running down over it. Momo respected his lord's wish to have a private conversation, so he bowed and left. Seeing how Momo acted and judging from his brother's expression, the perfect high school student caught on right away that the lord of Majabah was before him and his Nii-san. Iori's mind was suddenly filled with a lot of feelings, mainly anger and hatred towards the man in front of him.

Riku entered the room slowly, closed the door and approached Mitsuki. He crouched down, reaching his hand to touch the remains of his servant's right thigh gently. It took everything in him not to break down uncontrollably.

"You have no right to cry"

Riku looked up to find Iori glaring at him. "Iori!" Mitsuki was pulled right out of his sad mode. He pushed his brother's head down and bowed to Riku. "My lord, we're sorry. My brother has a sharp-"

"No, I am not sorry!" Iori forcefully pushed Mitsuki's arm away. It was very rare for the boy to raise his voice. He continued to stare daggers at Riku. "You've destroyed everyone's life. First, you threw away your twin brother who has done nothing wrong. You've been using my Nii-san like a tool, and now you're just pretending to cry when your heart is actually pitch black!"

Riku was badly hurt by those words and it showed. The lord had his hand on his chest as he could feel it tightened. It got harder for him to keep his breaths steady.

"Iori, stop it!" Mitsuki shouted as loud as he could to stop his little brother. That was not enough to quell Iori's anger. "When Nii-san went missing, I did everything in my power to locate him. You, on the other hand, had resources and power, yet you did nothing to save Tenn-san!"

Mitsuki grabbed Iori's shoulders tightly, shaking the boy to prevent him from acting on his emotions any further. "Stop jumping to conclusions when you don't know the whole story!"

"If I was so heartless then why is the pain so unbearably torturing?"

Riku's voice was so shaky it could easily break anyone's spirit. Mitsuki knew he had to speak to each of them separately, but the decision on whom he asked to leave could affect their bonds.

"Riku" Finally the doctor released the grip on Iori's shoulders then turned to face the lord. He touched Riku's hand gently. "Do you mind giving us some time to talk tonight?" Mitsuki chose to talk to Iori first because he knew his brother would have a hard time forgiving him if he chased him away.

A part of Riku understood Mitsuki's decision. Another was so wounded he wanted to just escape from this room. "I understand." He would do anything for Tenn-nii as well, though he was not so sure anymore after getting an earful from a stranger who seemed to care about Tenn more than himself. Did he truly use all of his power to try to save Tenn? Was it wrong for him to give up on the search? Was it wrong for him to feel so hopeless he gave up on living?

_So I am a monster after all._

~~

"Better?"

Tenn sat in the garden with the pale butler who was trying to get some fresh air.

"I'm surprised you've thrown up that much after eating nothing"

Gaku sighed and turned to glare at Tenn. "I'm fine, brat"

"Oh?" A mischievous smile appeared on the younger boy's face. "So if I cut your arm off right now..."

"Ugh stop it" Gaku covered his mouth, feeling he was going to hurl again. "You're making me sick"

"You said you're fine, liar" If Gaku was not in bad shape he would have pointed a shuriken at Tenn's neck by now. The butler sighed again. "Let's talk about you. Apart from Silica, where have you been all these years?"

"What do you think?" Tenn frowned when the answer should have been obvious to Gaku. "I woke up in the middle of nowhere without anywhere to go. I had no money, status or even a family name. What do you think I would have done?" Gaku stayed silent because if that happened to him, he would rather have his life taken away honestly.

"The previous High lord died not too long after your execution." Gaku began to explain his side of the story. "My lord took on the ruling and began to search for you. Obviously, we didn't know what surname you took on."

Tenn shook his head. "I didn't expect anyone to come for me so I knew I had to fend for myself. I suffered a lot but I don't hold it against you or Riku. We all know how messed up the previous high lord was."

Gaku decided not to tell Tenn about Riku's suicide attempt for the same reason he did not tell Riku about Tenn's execution. "So, what now?" Gaku took out his shuriken and spun it around in his hand. "Are you going to stay here and serve my lord?"

"It's not easy" Tenn chuckled and smiled a little. "I want to stay with Riku but I've also found someone I care about in Silica."

"Ho?" Gaku smirked. "Care to spill?"

"Not in a million years. Your dumb mind wouldn't understand this kind of thing anyway" That sentence caused Gaku to send the shuriken in his hand flying towards Tenn. luckily Tenn saw that coming and cast a barrier to protect himself just in time.

"Well," Gaku went back to the serious topic. "Without question, my lord would be overjoyed to have you here. While you are here, I have a suggestion." Tenn raised his eyebrows. "You should train with me and my lord to use that Dispel magic of yours"

Tenn felt the need to decline right away. The secret about him and Iori would surely be uncovered if he was to be trained to use such a powerful spell. His plan was destroyed when Gaku spoke his next words. "I'm afraid you can't decline. My lord will have a meeting with Silica's lord soon. You will understand why once you learn about the worlds' situations"

_'Suggestion' my ass._ Tenn cursed under his breath. While he was thinking of an excuse, he was interrupted by Gaku shooting up and taking a high alert stance with a shuriken in his hand. "What-"

"Shhh!" Gaku's covered Tenn's mouth and forcefully pulled the boy to hide under a large bush.

In the more open area of the garden, Riku appeared, gazing at the moon with tears rolling down his face. He knelt down and wept with his hands continually wiping his tears. Gaku and Tenn turn sharply to look at each other, appalled. Acting purely on instinct, the two of them sprang out of the bush and ran to Riku.

"My lord!"

Gaku held both Riku's shoulders and knelt down right next to the lord. Tenn took another side, rubbing Riku's back. "My lord, what's wrong?" He took out his handkerchief to wipe Riku's wet face. The butler's heart was torn. The last time he saw Riku in this state was when the boy set the mansion on fire. "Please tell me, Nanase-sama" said Gaku, but Riku kept crying, unable to say anything.

Tenn told Gaku to take Riku back to his room. The boy's breaths were unsteady. Worry could be seen on the idol's face, fearing it would develop into a full-blown attack. Without hesitation, the butler moved one of his arms and slid it underneath Riku's thigh. "My apologies" Gaku lifted him up to find he was slightly shivering. Exposure to cold air was the last thing Riku could take right now. "Tenn, come. I need your help"

~~

Gaku set Riku down on the king-sized bed inside Riku's room. Riku was kept warm with a blanket. Tenn was out to find Momo to notify him to have the herbal medicine ready just in case. Being a natural overprotective brother, he asked Momo to prepare calming aromatic herbs and some others to help with swollen eyes and tension headache in large quantities as well.

Riku seemed to have calmed down a little thanks to Gaku's presence. "I am sorry" Riku muttered.

"Why?" Asked the butler who stood next to Riku.

"I am a cruel lord, am I not?" Riku took a sudden deep breath. "Always causing trouble. Always causing people pain and fear. I do not deserve-"

"Don't say it" Gaku cut his lord off. "A cruel lord would sink the world, not save it. Serving you is my pride, not pain. Lastly, people fear your status, not your heart"

"You fear me" Riku's eyes started glowing, which made Gaku hold his breath for a brief moment. Dissatisfaction could be seen on the lord's face, though that made him appear quite cute more than scary to the butler.

"I do. I must admit. I know I've hurt my lord." Gaku bowed deeply. "But no way in hell I'm letting it stop me from seeing you differently, even if it takes time. "

Gaku smiled. That small but sincere smile made Riku blush unknowingly. "In order to conquer my fear, will my lord listen to this humble servant's request?"

Riku blinked twice. It was unusual for Gaku to make a request outside of duty. "Very well. Let's hear it"

"Tell me what you know about yourself, what happened after you stopped the destruction and what upset you just now"

After a brief moment of thought, a reserved smile appeared on Riku's face, which made Gaku feel a little more relieved. "I am glad you are willing to hear" The lord sat up before throwing his legs to the side of the bed. He was now fully facing Gaku who swiftly bent down on one knee. "Firstly though, it is time for your punishment"

Gaku swore he did not see that coming. In fact, he thought his lord had forgotten about it. He gulped. "A-Anytime, my lord" His heart was thumping hard while he was readying himself for a magical impact.

Riku slowly placed his feet on the floor and stood up. He stumbled slightly thanks to his uneven breathing. Good thing Gaku caught him in time. "You shouldn't be up yet. You could have an attack anytime!" The butler panicked.

Riku pouted before telling Gaku to follow him. Soon, the butler found himself in a hot steamy room with a floor made of gravel. He noticed a large hot spring with naturally mild green water. The butler's face turned red not because of the heat, only because he just realised he had followed his lord into the private onsen. Within a short distance in front of him stood a familiar figure who seemed to be unbuttoning his shirt and unzipping his pants. A second later, the man stopped what he was doing.

"Gaku, why are you standing still?" Riku turned around and tilted his head in confusion. Approaching his butler, Gaku could see Riku was ready to undress. Eyeing the lord up and down, flustered Gaku asked for an explanation. "N-Nanase-sama, what are you doing?!?"

"I have not had a nice long bath in such a long time" Riku bent down to grab a basket full of strawberry-scented toiletries. When he got back up, he pushed it into Gaku's hand. "You will scrub my back...and um...supervise me." Riku's glowing eyes darted left and right. "You know how many times I have passed out in here" He giggled cheerfully. "You should enter the bath as well as it is likely you will get wet" The moment Riku saw Gaku opened his mouth to argue, he shut him by saying "This is your punishment. Now, undress me"

Riku lifted his arms up sideways. Gaku hesitantly went behind Riku and took off his blazer and his clothes. Then, he proceeded to gently pull down Riku's trousers and finally, his underwear. Gaku blushed. Sure, servants were trained to dress and undress their lords properly but Riku usually insisted he would do it himself.

And damn, Gaku could hardly take his eyes off that pretty body.

~~

Tenn was on his way back to Riku's room after getting an armful of herbs and medicines, which were being carried by object-manipulation magic. He noticed the several parts of the mansion had changed. He wondered if Riku had wanted to renovate those parts or something, but they looked just fine before he was chased out.

While passing one of the rooms along the hallway next to the garden, Tenn heard the sound of what seemed to be an argument. Being cautious, he decided to investigate by closely listening in to the conversation. Tenn was surprised when he recognised one of the voices.

_Izumi Iori...!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BITTERRRRRR! Damn you Iori! Damn the whole fic for the fact that I am using it to destroy IoRiku lol! These two need to fight! Riku needs to find out about Tenn and him and order Gaku to execute them! DIE!!!   
> *Ahem* Okay I've calmed down. *smiles* How was the chapter? I realise it was dialogue-heavy but I hope you lovely ppl enjoyed it nonetheless. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated so feed me chocolate please XD  
> Tenn is about to reunite with Iori once again fufufufufufu~ Will it go well?   
> If you want to scream at me my twitter is @kenarkrsun :P


	25. Punishment and Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident happened to Iori, but that was not the worst news. + Momo's first time in Silica

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion, Nighttime** -

Tenn wanted to see Iori, but he caught on that the boy was in the middle of a heated conversation with someone he did not know. Tenn set the herbs on the floor and began to gather some information by eavesdropping. It was hard to hear whole sentences. Still, Tenn could grasp that they were talking about Riku, and from that, he could already guess what happened. Iori was never happy when Tenn mentioned his family in their conversation, so he knew it was likely Iori put Riku in a depressed state. Riku was a kind, sweet and sensitive boy. The idol could imagine his little brother’s heart being slaughtered by Iori’s sharp tongue.

Tenn felt conflicted. He should have been furious that someone hurt his little brother to the point he could not speak. Yet here he was, feeling a little warm someone cared about him enough to get angry for him. However, it did not change the fact that Iori took that anger out on someone who bore the burden of being a Nanase but did nothing wrong.

Deciding it was best to leave Iori in who was most likely his brother’s hands for now, Tenn took the herbs to Gaku at Riku’s room. The lord was already asleep. Tenn figured it would be best for him to get some rest too, so he could deal with whatever was thrown at him in the morning.

~~

Early in the morning when the sun had not risen, Momo and Yuki were ready to set off for Silica by a carriage. Yamato decided to go back with them since he was worried about his husband. He was sure Iori would be fine with Mitsuki. The only thing this old man would complain about was how early the energetic butler came to wake him.

Iori was there too, to make sure Yuki had all the prescriptions needed to get a mechanical leg and some inhalers. Before long, the horses powered up by time magic pulled the carriage off into the distance.

The high school boy was sure he could not go back to sleep. He thought of an idea: it would be nice to explore Majabah for a little bit. It would help clear his head after that argument with his brother. Perhaps he could also look for Tenn.

The moment he was about to take the first steps towards the gate, Iori heard someone’s voice from outside. It was extremely faint, yet he could tell it was so nice and soft to his ear. With his eyes closed, he tried to focus on the lovely sound before following it.

The sound led him to the forest just outside the mansion, where Mitsuki first summoned Kinako. Iori looked left and right, walking as stealthily as possible towards the sound. Someone was singing, and the louder it got, the sweeter it sounded to the boy. He felt he was drawn to it.

Iori kept his slow pace until he found the source of the sound at the forest clearing. A person with bright red hair was so focused on singing that he did not notice Iori’s presence. The Silican would have frowned had he not been so mesmerised by the young lord in front of him, who was singing with one hand on his chest and his eyes closed.

It was a sad song. One about having to leave someone they love. Judging from the lyrics, the songwriter must have been suffering endlessly in secret. It described how they would rather let the whole world freeze just to be with that someone.

Halfway through the chorus, a yellow aura expanded from the lord’s body, shocking Iori.  _Is that magic?_  Iori wondered if there were some types of magic Tenn had not covered in his strict course, which seemed unlikely.

By the end of the chorus, Iori could hear strange noises. It sounded like something was cracking. The boy looked around him to find no tree branches were falling down. Somehow, Iori felt a sudden drop in temperature, and then there was a mysterious numbness in his feet. When he looked down...oh the horror!

The grounds of the forest clearing had frozen over. The thin but tough layer of ice seemed to have come from Riku. It continued to expand, and at a rather quick pace. Some of the ice had already covered part of tree trunks surrounded the clearing. At this rate, the whole place would be frozen solid within minutes.

“Ouch!” The ice was going up to Iori’s knees. Before he could shout, it went up to his neck, rendering his ability to make a sound.

Left without a choice, Iori used the last of his strength to cast fire magic on his hand, but it only came out as a flash of red light that failed to thin the ice.

“...!”

Riku stopped singing because he felt strangely cold, and the ice stopped growing too. With his hands covering his mouth, he gasped while looking around himself to find a frozen forest clearing. “Oh no! What have I done?” Riku saw a frozen human figure with a pale, pained face by the trees at the end of the walkway. He dashed towards the boy to find it was Mitsuki’s little brother.

Riku kneeled. Inside his head, he pictured the image of ice thawing. Without wasting a second, the lord cast large fireballs in his hands and pressed them hard on the icy ground. Instantly, the ice melted away even faster than how it made its way to freeze the ground.

Iori could not feel his body at all. There was no feeling in his leg, so his knees gave out. He almost flopped to the hard ground. Luckily, the kneeling lord caught the boy’s body in his arms. Iori was coughing and shivering badly. No one could say what Riku’s terrifying power did to his body.

“Please, you must be alright” the lord pleaded while hugging the younger boy tightly to give him warmth. He then took off his blazer and covered Iori’s frail body with it. “I am terribly sorry, Iori. I truly am.”

~~

- **Silica, District One** -

“Whoaaaa”

Momo’s eyes were sparkling when he got to the border of Silica. It really felt like he was in another world. Instead of wooden or brick houses, he saw tall, rigid buildings with several windows. About one-third of Silica’s District One had been restored to its original state. Their AI technology was beyond incredible thanks to the works of clever and hardworking scientists.

AI robots came to greet Momo and gave him a mini-guide after verifying Momo was a Majabahn. The guide had all the basic details about Silica including how to cross the road without getting hit by cars and such. “Aren’t these just common sense…?” was what Yamato said, but when he looked at Momo who was fully focused on reading the guide intently, he let his mouth hang. Yamato did not get to see what Majabah was like after the calamity, so he had yet to be fascinated by the differences.

“This world seems so dangerous!” Momo exclaimed. “Yuki, how am I supposed to survive in this place?” His body was shaking.

_Huh?_  Yamato thought.  _He’s scared? He’s a magician though??_

“Don’t worry, Momo” Yuki turned to the Geomancer. “I’ll protect you”

_Wait Wait Wait Yuki-san...you can’t just play along?!?_  Yamato’s mouth hung agape. “There’s nothing dangerous in Silica!”

“Oh, isn’t there?” Yuki asked back. At this point Yamato could not tell if this guy was being serious or acting. Momo did not seem to care though, “Yuki Ikemen!!” he said.

_Seriously these two…_  Yamato let out a big sigh.

~~

Yamato said he did not care how these two will end up, yet here he was, accompanying the two men in love to the Central Hospital where Mitsuki used to work before he was teleported to Majabah. Yuki was  _useless_  at explaining what things were to Momo along the way, so Yamato got another extra job.

“Ugh, what’s this smell?!” Momo covered his nose as the waft of typical sterilised hospital smell hit him the moment the automatic door opened for the three. “It’s not poison or anything right? Should I be on guard?”

“Why are these people wearing the same thing?” Momo looked around to see some people in their white uniforms and matching hats with a pink cross in the middle. Some other people wore lab coats, gloves and light green masks on their faces. Momo started to sweat. He felt everything around him was scary.

“Relax, Momo” Yuki grabbed Momo’s shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly. “The nurses and doctors work to help sick people. They are nice.”

Momo turned to the left to see a nurse preparing an injection for a patient through a large clear window. He gulped when he saw how sharp and long the needle was. The horror show did not end there. Momo screamed when the nurse pierced that needle through the patient’s upper arm. Yamato had to jump in to cover Momo’s mouth because EVERYONE was looking at them. “Whoa! calm down, Momo-san.”

“Excuse me” One of the nurses in the reception area approached the three. “Does he need medical help?”

“No, no” Yamato smiled sheepishly while still holding the older man and covering his mouth. “He’s fine. He’s just new here. A Majabahn” With that, the nurse apologised and returned to her station.

“Geez Momo” Yuki laughed. “We’re not at war here. Like Yamato-kun said, our world is safe.”

Momo took a few deep breaths to calm down. “Okay” He quietly followed Yuki and Yamato to the pharmacy counter. Yuki accepted a bag of a few inhalers from the AI pharmacist. Yamato held the mechanical leg in his hand. The next step was to see a doctor who could modify a pre-made mechanical leg to fit Mitsuki. Mitsuki had noted down everything needed for the specialist to do so.

Seeing as Momo seemed quite overwhelmed, “Momo, why don’t you wait for us here?” Yuki spoke while pointing to the waiting area with comfortable sofas near the pharmacy counter. Momo nodded and went to sit as told. He did not realise he needed this break until now.

Just when Momo was finally feeling relaxed. Some visitors passing by in the area could not keep their mouths shut when they saw a boy wearing strange clothes sitting by himself.

_Oh my god! Look, it’s a Majabahn._  

  
_Oh yeah. He’s wearing such a thick robe. Those big triangular earrings too. What a weirdo._  

_Hey, don’t say it so loudly! What if he uses magic to burn the whole place down?_

That group of women was not the only ones gossiping about Momo. There was another pair of men who also had nothing nice to say.

_I don’t get our Regulator at all. How can he trust these shady people?_  

_I know, right? They are all so uneducated._

Momo wanted to break down and cry right then and there. Life was hard enough being a commoner without magic in Majabah. Now in Silica, people were still going to hate him?

When Yuki and Yamato returned with a modified metal leg. Yuki wondered why Momo did not greet him excitedly. Sure, the two had just met yesterday, yet Momo usually had such a distinctively cute personality that he knew something was off.

“Did something happen?” The former idol asked with genuine concern, but Momo only shook his head and smiled at Yuki. “No? Maybe I’m just a bit tired. Where are we going next?”

~~

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion** -

“Have you found him?”

Human-forme Tamaki, who was carrying the worried Mitsuki around, ran towards a light pink-haired boy who was panting and sweating quite a lot. Mitsuki’s heart dropped when the boy shook his head. “No, I’ve searched all the rooms except Nanase-sama’s and Gaku’s. Izumi Iori is nowhere to be seen”

What happened was, Mitsuki woke up at sunrise to find the futon next to him was already folded neatly. He figured Iori was already up, but he waited and waited and Iori never showed up.

Tenn wanted to see Iori first thing in the morning, so he thought he would just check the boy’s room. He knew Iori to be an early riser due to school. That was when he opened the door to find Mitsuki asking about his little brother, so they began the search in the mansion.

“What’s going on here?”

Two anxious men turned their heads to find Gaku standing behind him. “It’s my brother, Yaotome” Mitsuki blurted out. “He’s missing”

“What?” Gaku had several questions. He knew those had to wait. “Listen, most of our men are busy with looking after the town. We’re going to have to search for the boy ourselves.” Gaku paused the instant he saw Tenn’s grimacing face. “Oi, Tenn what’s wrong?”

“Ugh” Tenn’s face suddenly turned pale. He crouched, feeling like the world around him was spinning. “M-my magic…!” He felt his power burning his body as if it wanted to escape. Soon after, his upper body hit the floor as he felt an excruciating pain circulating throughout his body. Tenn took gasping breaths through his mouth to keep fighting through the pain. To make matters worse, reality hit him hard. Something as dire as death happened to Iori.

“Nanase!” Mitsuki instinctively jumped off Tamaki’s back to check on Tenn. “He’s burning up!”

Tenn screamed in agony. “Izumi!” He used the last of his strength to shout. “I-Iori is in danger!”

Gaku and Mitsuki looked at each other with widened eyes. “Tenn, how-“ The butler was about to question when Tenn shouted even louder. “THERE’S NO TIME!” He dug his fingers into his hair. “SAVE IORI!!”

“Gakkun” Tamaki transformed into a full dragon when he noticed some sort of strange ‘fireworks’ appearing in the bright blue sky coming from the direction of the forest. “Imma go get Rikkun!”

Gaku nodded. “...I’m counting on you, Lazu” The butler knew Riku would never send an emergency signal unless something truly terrible happened. It was the only clue they had on finding Iori. The butler used object-manipulation magic to move both Tenn and Mitsuki into a room. Then, he ran off to find Tsumugi. “Call the healer, quick!”

~~

Iori was put on the lord’s bed under a thick wool blanket. The room was heated up, yet the boy was still shivering badly. The healer had made a tonic for him to raise the body temperature. She excused herself after having done all she could for the boy.

Riku sat by Iori’s bedside, lighting a fireball in his hand, clearly worrying for the boy’s physical state. “My lord…” Gaku knew that face. It was a face full of guilt.

~~

Later in the afternoon, the pain left Tenn’s body as if it was never there. Even though he was less than half-conscious most of the time when his magic power was trying to leave him, he could feel Mitsuki took very good care of him. Once Tenn recovered, he had a proper chat with Mitsuki about their lives in different worlds and what happened between Iori and Riku. The doctor had gleaming eyes at one point “I’m so glad my little brother has found his first love!”

“L-love? Whatever are you talking about?” Tenn looked away and blushed. “Anyway, we should see how Izum-, I mean, Iori is doing”

Tenn insisted he felt perfectly fine, meaning Iori was likely no longer in life-threatening danger. He carried Mitsuki using Object manipulation magic to Riku’s room. They entered the room to find upset Riku sitting on the couch with Gaku kneeling on the floor next to him. “Pay me no mind. The boy has woken up” Riku spoke quietly. Tenn bowed before going up to the lord’s bed, which was fully covered by a curtain.

Tenn carefully set Mitsuki down on a chair by the bedside. He used his hand to gently moved the curtain, opening it to find Iori sitting up on his bed, turning to look at Tenn right in the eye.

“Tenn-san!” Iori’s eyes widened as he did not know Tenn was here. As for Tenn, he immediately pulled Iori into a tight hug. “I’m so relieved…” he muttered. He refused to cry though, not in front of four other people in the room. Instead, Mitsuki did just that.

After a little while, Tenn pulled away, wearing a serious expression on his face. “What happened? Who hurt you?” Mitsuki also leaned in. The two would like to see the attacker be brought to justice.

Being in the same room, Riku of course heard the whole conversation. Riku used that chance to get up from the couch and walked towards the three. He pulled the bed curtain open all the way, slightly startling both Tenn and Iori. Seeing that, Gaku went to join his lord’s side. Mitsuki noticed Riku looked quite grim. He did not have to wonder why much longer.

“It is I who froze Iori”

Mitsuki and Tenn turned to look at Riku in disbelief. Even Gaku could not keep his surprise from showing on his face.

“For that, I apologise” Riku bowed, making Tenn flinch. The lord’s neutral expression however changed once he lifted his head up. He frowned, glaring at the two with a sharp gaze. A yellow aura expanded from his body. “However…”

Riku was furious.

“You two have performed the forbidden ritual, have you not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Momo! >< But wait perhaps i should be worried for Iori and Tenn for now. The lord isn't about to let them get away for sharing magic, right? Hopefully there will be some ways for their lives to be spared...? Fufufufu~  
> Support of any kind is greaaaaaatly appreciated!!!! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you wanna chat, just dm me at @kenarkrsun on Twitter!  
> It might seem a bit unbalanced right now but there will be events taking place in Silica later *winks* It's been very hard to write so please bear with me. Until next time~!


	26. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku's deciding on Tenn and Iori's punishment.  
> Momo is upset and suggests he would leave Silica on his own.

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion** -

Tenn and Iori were still holding onto each other’s arm when Riku glared daggers at them.

Perhaps Gaku should not have reported what happened. The butler knew why his lord was so upset. Even if the two did not answer, Tenn must have performed a ritual to share his magic power with Iori. Otherwise, why would he have suffered when Iori’s life was in danger? There was no way his lord could turn a blind eye to that. It must have troubled him greatly to have to put his twin brother to death. Plus, Riku was bearing his guilt earlier for having hurt Iori.

Iori’s grip on Tenn’s arm became tighter. How could a human gaze be so intimidating that both he and Tenn were trembling? The younger boy was thinking of how they could get out of the situation. It was partly his fault that their secret was out. He should have been more careful.

The youngest snapped out of his bubbles of thoughts when Tenn pulled his arm away.

Mitsuki did not know what was going on, but judging from everyone’s faces, he knew something was very wrong here.

“Please wait, high lord Nanase-sama” Tenn glanced at Iori before turning to face angry Riku fully. He bent down on one knee and bowed his head to the lord. “It was me who forced Iori to go through the ritual”

Riku looked down. “What was your reason?” He forced his voice out, trying to hide how broken it was. The lord knew Gaku and Tenn were great friends, so he did not have the heart for Gaku to be in charge of this punishment. As a lord, Riku would be the one to shoulder that burden alone.

“I wanted to help him find his brother who was likely in Majabah.” Tenn swallowed before continuing. “I made him a magic-user so he can protect himself if needed”

“HAHHH???” Mitsuki was so surprised he almost fell off his chair. He did not know such a thing was possible and that it was against the law. “Iori can use magic?!?”

Tenn turned to Mitsuki briefly and nodded. By now, Iori’s eyes were watery. “So please Nanase-sama, spare his life.” Tenn went on his knees and bent over until his forehead touched the ground. “I beg of you”

“Tenn-san, no!” Iori jumped out of bed to kneel by Tenn’s side. He stared at the lord, feeling defeated and hopeless that he could not even find the hatred in his heart to direct to the guy standing before him. Riku seemed like anything but a human being, and so the only thing Iori could feel was fear. Riku’s eyes reflected yellow glow dancing like flames in them.

“You’ve committed one of the biggest sins, yet you are still begging me to spare your lives?” Riku raised his voice. The quicker he got this done, the less everyone had to suffer.

“What’s the meaning of this? You’re going to kill Iori? You can’t!!!” Despite having only one good leg, Mitsuki sprang forward and crawled towards the high lord.

“Step aside, Izumi-ani” Gaku jumped in front of his lord to stop Mitsuki. The butler was in his combat stance, yet his mind was elsewhere. He hesitantly reached his right hand to grab a hilt of a sheathed sword equipped to his hip. It was a sword known as ‘executioner’s blade’, which Gaku had not drawn for the longest time. “Or you will be beheaded as well” Even though the two broke the rules, Tenn was his a friend. A friend he fought against his father for. Plus, Mitsuki had proven to have more than just loyalty to his lord. Gaku did not want to hurt his feelings by taking away his only remaining family.

Gaku wanted to voice his opinion but knew full well he had no right to. Still, he felt he was the only one with enough influence to ask his lord to spare their lives. After all, Tenn and Iori did have a good reason to share their magic power. “My lord if I may” Gaku bent down on one knee and bowed his head. “I would like to ask you to reconsider the sentence”

Wishing he could cry right then and there, the lord turned his back to everyone. He was more than grateful Gaku had spoken that. “Very well” Riku swallowed before turning around again. “Instead of a death penalty…”

“You two shall face me in a duel”

~~

- **Silica, District One** -

“Ryuu!”

“Yamato!”

The married couple ran towards each other and hugged briefly. They were not the types to express their love much, but they both had at least once thought they would never see each other again.

Nagi in the back was sobbing as he watched the two men reunited. “ _Oh true love_ ” He muttered.

As for what happened, Yamato checked with Central Hospital if they had Ryuu’s most recent medical record just in case Ryuu had checked in here. They did not, so Yamato, accompanied by Yuki and Momo, went to check his house but Ryuu was not there either. Out of options, they went to see Nagi at his Sky Silica’s office where he found Ryuu helping the Regulator out with his work.

During the whole journey since they left the hospital, Yuki had constantly been glancing at Momo. The Majabahn was no longer pointing at things he had never seen or looking around himself with starry eyes. Instead, he had been awfully quiet, only answering Yuki with two words or less.

Seeing as everyone had done what they were set out to do, Momo forced a big smile on his face. “I guess it’s time Momo-chan returns to my lord!”

“ _OH?_ ” The Regulator made a surprised face. “Leaving so soon?”

“Yeah well” Momo thought of an excuse. “Mitsuki is probably dying to get his leg back now…” His eyes darted off to the sides as he spoke.

“DID YOU SAY MITSOOKI???” Momo was not aware that Silica’s ‘lord’ and Mitsuki were friends. Yamato explained how their friend lost his leg. Nagi looked very hurt by it. “ _Oh_  my poor Mitsooki…”

Momo looked at Nagi sympathetically. It made him think that Silicans were human beings just like Majabahns, so how could those people say such ugly things loud enough for Momo to hear.

Momo tried to leave quietly while everyone was distracted. Suddenly, he felt a tug in his arm. “Momo, where do you think you are going?” Frowning Yuki stared right into Momo’s pair of sad eyes. “Did we not agree to go back after tonight?”

“Ah, it’s okay” Momo again forced himself to smile and shook his head. “I can go back on my own. I-I’ll visit sometime-“

“Momo!” Yuki raised his voice this time. He tugged Momo’s arm again.

And that was enough to break Momo’s fake mask of happiness.

“What’s wrong?” Concerned Yuki raised his hand to wipe the bits of Momo’s tears with his thumb. Ryuu, Yamato and Nagi shuffled closer too to see if they could be of any help.

“I just- I don’t belong here” Momo breathed deeply before continuing. “I’m not welcomed here”

“Momo-san, what happened?” Ryuu asked. He could not stand seeing anyone so sad.

Momo explained what he heard while he was waiting for Yuki and Yamato at the hospital.

“Screw them”

“...Eh?” Unsure of what that was, Momo looked up at Yuki and expected him to explain.

“People can say whatever they want. You live the way you want to live” Yuki continued to rub Momo’s cheek. Momo tried to argue with his shaky voice but he could not quite form a proper sentence. “B-But…”

“No buts” Yuki cut Momo off. “You have every right to be you”

Before Momo could react, Ryuu nodded along and gave him a reassuring smile. Nagi then felt he needed to speak up. “ _Yes_ , Momo-san. Silica is a  _free_  world where people can express their opinions  _freely_  on just about anything. The downside that comes from it is sometimes, people forget to be considerate of other people’s feelings.”

“It doesn’t mean that you’re wrong, or that you don’t belong here” Yamato joined in.

“I was an idol in this academic world, so I was never accepted much either.” Yuki smiled weakly. “But at least Ban and I did what we loved. Among the sea of people, there was always someone who liked us for what we do.”

“As for Momo, I’ve already fallen for you”

~~

- **Majabah, the Nanase Mansion** -

Tenn and Iori had their hands tied to their waists with a thick rope by Gaku. They were made to walk to the barracks where the duel was to take place. Riku was already inside. At first, Iori was looking for a way to escape, but Tenn hissed for him to drop the thought.

Mitsuki, riding on human-forme Tamaki, followed them closely. “Yaotome-“

“Don’t say it” Gaku cut Mitsuki off. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you, Izumi-ani” His voice was just as broken as Mitsuki’s.

Once they got to the front of the barrack’s large closed door, Gaku cut the rope using his shuriken. “Listen well” He then placed one of his hands on each of the criminals’ shoulder before announcing the rules in his loud voice. “All you need to do is survive for five minutes, and you go free.”

The winning condition did not make anyone feel better. Tenn was not sure how much power Riku could use before he would suffer magic exhaustion. Iori had got a taste Riku’s terrifying power firsthand.

After that, Gaku moved closer to the two boys to whisper. “My lord’s power is not the same as what you know. If you can attack my lord, aim for his chest. My advice: focus on healing yourselves.”

“Iori, you have to survive!” Mitsuki shouted while attempting to hold his tears. Iori went to hug Mitsuki one last time. “We’ll come back, Nii-san”

With that, Gaku pushed open the door. Riku was already standing at the one end of the room, while Tenn and Iori were at the other. The butler took the place of the referee in the middle to the right-hand side.

“The duel starts NOW”

As soon as they heard the cue, Iori and Tenn ran off to the sides away from each other, hoping to distract Riku. It was a big mistake as the lord used the opportunity to create an ice wall right in the middle of the room to completely separate his twin brother from him and Iori. “NO IZUMI!!” Tenn panicked when he noticed Riku was now alone with the boy. Tenn fired one fireball after another at the ice wall, but it failed to cause any damage or melt the ice.

“W-what are you?” Iori was shocked to see how much stronger Riku’s magic was compared to Tenn, who was not weak in the slightest. The lord remained quiet and continued his offence by casting continuous lightning magic from the ceiling, aiming for at least one of them to strike Iori. Iori used time magic on himself to run around and dodge series of lighting strikes.

While running around the room, Iori noticed Tenn was giving him some sort of signals. Iori nodded in understanding. He had trained with Tenn long enough to be able to guess what those were.

Riku stood on one spot the whole time as there was not really a need for him to run. It would only wear him out. Seeing as Iori and Tenn were plotting something, he tried to be more cautious.

Iori ran to a spot where he was in between the ice wall and Riku. The Silican was panting heavily with his hand on his knees. He soon stumbled to the ice wall. The coldness he felt on his back reminded him he was in trouble.

Seeing as the Silican came to a complete stop, Riku stopped the lightning strikes and created a massive fireball in his hand instead. He threw it with full force at Iori.

Iori stood up perfectly straight and smiled, earning a confused look from Riku. The boy jumped away from the spot the moment the fireball was about to hit him. Iori landed with his left shoulder on the ground. The fireball continued to travel and finally pierced through the ice wall Riku created.

“...!” The lord now noticed he was tricked. Just before he could cast a barrier to defend himself, he had to suddenly cover his eyes from the light as bright as the sun. Tenn stopped casting light magic then used that opportunity to dash forward and jumped through the hole in the wall. Relying on gravity, Tenn reached his arms out to hit the lord in the chest, grabbed onto the body and took it down with him.

Tenn landed on top of Riku whose body hit the hard ground fully. “ _cough cough_!” Riku started coughing violently. The whole ice wall shattered into pieces. Shocked Gaku ran into the scene and shouted.

“STOP!!! The duel is over! Victory goes to Kujou Tenn and Izumi Iori!”

Tenn rolled off Riku’s body as soon as he heard the announcement. Riku was wheezing badly thanks to his condition. The lord could see the worried looks on Tenn’s and Gaku’s faces. He felt so relieved he forgot about the troubling situation he was in. Happy tears rolled down from his eyes as he smiled at his twin brother.

Tenn’s eyes twitched in anger. “Riku...you’ve planned this all along…!”

~~

- **Silica, District One** -

Momo took the biggest bite out of a bar of milk chocolate twice the size of his face. “Mhmmm this is SOOOO GOOD, Yuki! What is it?”

“What?” Yuki chuckled as he looked at the adorable Momo who sat right next to him on a couch at his apartment. “You’ve never had chocolate?”

“Momeverheardmofit” The Majabahn answered with his mouth full. Yuki could not get over how people of Majabah live without any food of heavenly sweetness called chocolate.

“Silica’s so amazing!!” Momo shouted excitedly after swallowing the chocolate. It was nighttime and by now Momo had pretty much experienced the basics of Silica’s life.

Momo had never felt this happy for a long time. Sure, he was forever grateful about Riku making him a butler after he had lost everything, but this feeling was different. For someone who could not use magic like Momo, Silica was his safe haven.

Yuki turned his flat-screen TV on and for the first time Momo got to watch TV. The butler could not take his eyes off the screen as Yuki, with a little shorter hair than now, appeared on it with another man named Banri. Their song, ‘Mikansei na Bokura’ drew Momo in completely.

Just when the first chorus bit ended, Yuki turned the TV off again before pulling his knees up and hugging them. “Ban…”

It was the second time Momo heard that name, the name of the partner Yuki lost. Seeing as Yuki was depressed, Momo shuffled closer to the former idol and touched Yuki’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss Yuki”

“We were happy” Yuki tightened his grip. “And then Ban was gone”

Momo could relate to Yuki so well it hurt. Still, he remained quiet and listened to Yuki’s story. The former idol spoke about his idol days with a proud smile. That proudness disappeared when he talked about becoming Tenn’s manager. He did not drop his smile, just that it held a different feeling.

Being a sensitive boy, Momo could sense changes in Yuki’s emotions. He could hear how much Yuki missed those idol days of his. “Hey, Yuki”

“Let’s get you to sing again”

~~

- **Silica, District One, Two days later** -

“ _OH, Welcome, Lord Riku!_  Come and have a seat!”

“How very nice of you to have set up this meeting, Regulator Nagi”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As introduced, the next chap will finally be more focused on the worlds situations. The last few chapters were character-focused so i'm thinking its time to move on. I hope you lovely ppl enjoyed this chapter. Any kinds of support is greatly appreciated!! 
> 
> I'm on twitter as kenarkrsun feel free to drop by and say hi!! ^^


	27. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting on how to fight the archangel, Osaka Sougo and save the worlds from danger

- **Silica, District One** -

If there were not a serious world situation at hand, the hotel would have looked like a party was being held.

Regulator Nagi had the whole five-star luxury hotel booked for the special visitors from Majabah. The hotel was large enough that it had a gold-coloured fountain placed in the middle of the lobby. Other furniture such as sofas and tables were also carefully designed with marble and gold finish. The hotel used the softest fabric possible to make the surface of the chairs.

In front of the fountain, Nagi, Ryuu and Yamato were waiting for the people from the Nanase mansion to arrive. While Nagi could involve the whole panel of famous scientists in this world-saving mission, he thought it would be best not to. It would only cause people to panic, which would be the last thing he wanted, especially when the worlds suddenly merged. People needed time to adjust, or serious conflicts would rise.

It was a good thing the lord of Majabah shared the same thought. Even though he had let the Takanashis and the Yaotomes know what was going on, it was only for them to keep peace and order in town. Well, now, Nagi had a meeting set up. The people who were involved with the incident at the Rainbow hill or Nijiiro Canyon were the ones called here.

Nagi looked at his platinum wristwatch. The moment the long hand pointed at number 12, the automatic lobby door opened to reveal 8 people entering the place. Nagi took a step forward to greet the Majabahn lord and offered a handshake. Riku looked at it curiously. “Take his hand, my lord. It is Silica’s greeting tradition.” Mitsuki, who stood right next to Riku, carried out his butler’s duty. So, the lord did just that. In return, he greeted back the Majabahn way by putting his right palm on his heart and nodded his head. Mitsuki, Gaku and Momo did the same but instead of nodding their heads, they bowed.

“That leg looks great on you, Mitsu” Yamato gave his friend the usual smirk. Deeply inside his heart, he was glad Mitsuki was back to having a functional leg again.

“ _OH_ My _poor_ Mitsooki...” Nagi could not help feeling sad.

“Thanks, Yamato-san. And Hey, Nagi I’m fine. Much to my surprise, it feels very natural!” Mitsuki spun around on his new leg to show he was not bluffing. Iori was frowning the whole time though.

“Oi, behave! You are before High Lord Nanase-sama!” Gaku shouted at Mitsuki, thinking the Silican should act like a proper butler. Especially after that decision of his.

 

_Yesterday..._

_”Riku, I can’t believe you put yourself at risk like that to save us!” Tenn scolded Riku who sat up in his bed, coughing heavily. Gaku, who was sitting on a chair by his bedside, had already given Riku an earful saying he was too reckless. The lord had been suffering from asthma attacks that kept coming since the duel was over the day before. The herbal medicine was not helping much. They were putting their hopes on the medicines that Momo and Yuki were returning with. Tenn soon turned soft when he saw Riku struggling. “...but thank you, for giving us a chance”_

_Iori entered the room with a glass of water in his hand. He also had Mitsuki come with him using his object manipulation magic. He gave the water to the lord and placed Mitsuki on the bed to check up on Riku._

_After Riku’s breathing had calmed down a little, he asked to speak with Mitsuki. The doctor was shocked when Riku said he wished to relieve Mitsuki of his butler position. “My lord, why?”_

_”You would not want to serve someone who has harmed your family. Am I not right?” Riku asked when truthfully he enjoyed Mitsuki’s company. Mitsuki was one of his best friends he treasured. Now that Silica was in sight, Mitsuki could return to his ‘comfortable, respected life’ or however Iori put it. He would be fine watching Mitsuki living a happy life from afar. He could deal with loneliness, the feeling he had been living with for the longest time._

_”Are you crazy?” Mitsuki shouted. “Stop jumping to conclusions and hear me out here!” The Silican butler explained he had spoken to Tenn and confirmed Iori decided to become a magic user even though he knew of the consequences. Mitsuki knew his little brother well enough to know he would never let anyone force him to do anything he did not agree with. “I was angry you hurt Iori. I still am. That doesn’t mean I HATE you. You’d be doing me a blessing if I did or I hated Majabah, but hey” There was passion behind Mitsuki’s carnelian eyes. “I’ve come to love Majabah. It’s a strange world with a unique charm and I’d like to see more of it. In fact, I want to help you make this world even better. So if you really want to atone for your sins, listen to my request.”_

_”I will always be loyal to you.” Mitsuki bowed his head. “But I am also a doctor, so this is my proposal. I’d like to open up a hospital here.” Mitsuki proceeded to explain what hospitals were for._

_”What?” Iori could not keep his straight face. “You want to stay in Majabah, Nii-san?”_

_Mitsuki turned to look at Iori and nodded. “Don’t worry, Iori. It’s easy to travel between the two worlds now. This is my decision. One day, you will have to make yours and I will respect the choice you make.”_

Riku lifted his right hand as a signal for his personal butler. “Gaku, no need to be so strict. We are working together. Plus, we are in Silica.” Gaku took the order and went quiet instantly. Yamato could not believe a sweet-looking boy like Riku had a scary-looking man under complete control.

After exchanging greetings, one of the hotel staffs led them to a large meeting room which honestly felt more like a royal family dining room. It had a large round white marble table in the middle. The chairs were carefully laid out to match the number of people at the meeting. Riku sat in between Nagi and Gaku. Ryuu and Yamato sat to the right of Nagi, followed by Mitsuki. Next to Mitsuki sat Iori, Tenn, Yuki and Momo respectively. Human-forme Tamaki took the last remaining spot which was right next to Gaku. A waiter walked in to serve apple juice to everyone. “This is apple juice??” Momo lifted his glass to see how clear and seemingly transparent the drink was. Apple juice in Majabah would always be cloudy as it came from blending apples with wind magic.

The meeting soon began with Tamaki filling in on what was happening to the world. To quickly sum everything up, a being named ‘Osaka Sougo’ was trying to destroy the worlds because the barrier between them was broken. These people had about a few more days to figure out what to do while Sougo’s power was still in control.

“It would be too dangerous for everyone here to go up to the Sky Realm.” Gaku stared at the Silicans in front of him. “Without magic, what can you people do?”

“They have more intelligence than your obedience to the lord, Gaku” Tenn took a sip of his apple juice, knowing he had managed to make Gaku’s blood boil. Riku had to give Gaku a cold glare with his glowing eyes, causing the butler to bow his head. _Do. Not. Be. Rude._

“I have a plan” Finally, someone said something cool. It was none other than the perfect high school student, Izumi Iori. “If the keeper is losing his mind like what Yotsuba-san described, we will need something to calm him down” Iori turned to look at his brother. “Nii-san and I can work on the medicine”

“Oi, Ichi” Yamato interjected. “How do you know human medicine is going to work on an angel?” It was such a good point that Iori went back into thinking deeply again.

“Well, it’s not like we have any better suggestions” Ryuu spoke worriedly before smiling again. “We don’t know unless we try. Isn’t it in our Silican’s blood to conduct an experiment?”

“An experiment?” Tenn narrowed his eyes. “I take it you’re going to ask the Majabahns to go fight, weaken the archangel and then apply the medicine on him” Tenn turned to look at Iori. The high school boy nodded to confirm it was what he had in mind. Tenn turned to stare at Ryuu again. “Do you realise you are risking human lives to conduct your so-called experiment?”

Ryuu gulped. His eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I got carried away...” Ryuu was a programmer, so he was used to experimenting with changing a few lines of code or something like that. He did not have to think about failure when all he needed to do was make a backup of the previous version.

“Hmph. You’re being a coward at a wrong time” Gaku glanced at Tenn. The younger boy frowned, not happy with how Gaku was insulting him at a proper meeting. “What?”

“Look” Gaku sighed, keeping his straight posture. “All our lives are at risk here just sitting around doing the planning, so what difference does it make to carry out an ‘experiment’?”

“And if we do anything reckless and fail we might not even get a second chance!” Tenn almost shouted at Gaku. It hit the butler a little too hard. Tenn could see it on his face.

Yellow aura surrounded Riku’s body, startling everyone in the room. “Tenn. Gaku. Drop it.” Riku spoke with a neutral tone, almost as if he was keeping his anger suppressed. He then voiced his opinion. “While I understand Tenn’s warning, I am willing to go with Iori’s plan. In order to ensure everyone’s safety, I propose that only I, Gaku and Tamaki travel up to the Sky Realm.”

“I do not doubt your powers, Lord Riku” Nagi went into his serious mode. “But allow me to suggest how we can be of support” Riku nodded to show he was not offended in the slightest.

“I suggest setting up a _tracking system_ on everyone who is going up to Sky Realm” Nagi proudly presented his idea. Mitsuki had to explain to the Majabahns what Nagi was talking about. Basically, everyone going up to the Sky Realm would wear a small tracker that could send video data to the people in Silica, letting them know what went on up there. They may also be able to contact each other. Riku, Gaku and Momo did not understand half of it. Tamaki used to watch over the two worlds with Sougo so he understood once Mitsuki described what it was.

“You can trust me with it” Ryuu smiled at the lord, knowing he would be in charge of creating the communication system.

“Very well” Riku, of course, was not a type to doubt a person’s goodwill. He smiled back, reservedly.

“Then what about me?” Yuki finally spoke after feeling a bit left out. “I’m not a scientist. I don’t do magic. What can I do?”

The room went silent for a while. It was slightly awkward as the people there did not know how they should respond to Yuki. Well, Momo was there to save the day. The man hit his palm with his fist. “That’s right!” He blurted that out, earning a sharp look from Gaku. “Uwah! Sorry, Gaku” Momo bobbed his head down thinking he was in trouble for sure.

“No” Riku cared more about Momo’s feelings than the image of Majabah’s representatives. “Speak, Momose”

Hearing his lord’s kind words, Momo perked up again. “Y-yes, my lord, um...I think that Yuki is a fabulous singer and dancer. Since the people in both worlds are having a tough time dealing with losses and all...” Tenn and Nagi nodded along. “Yuki could entertain them! You Silica people have what’s that called- uh telo, tiino..?” Momo pointed his index fingers at the sides of his head trying to recall the terminology of a certain object.

“TV?” Yamato helped. Who would have thought this guy had been paying attention this whole time when he seemed so bored?

“Ah! Yes! That!” Momo shouted excitedly, earning another ‘ahem’ from Gaku. This time, Momo was not paying attention. He spread his arms wide. “Everyone can watch Ikemen Yuki on TV!”

Yuki sweatdropped. “W-wait, Momo” Momo’s eyebrows dropped when he saw Yuki looking quite depressed. “I can’t” The atmosphere turned grim once again. Most people knew about Yuki’s deceased partner so they sympathised with him.

“But but” Momo tried again. “Your voice is so full of charms-“

“I can’t!!” Yuki shouted this time, cutting Momo off. “I’d be betraying Ban if I continue to sing when he can’t” He shook his head. Clearly, he was upset.

“You can’t let it end like this!” Momo grabbed hold of Yuki’s shoulders this time. No one dared interrupt their conversation, except for the bold butler.

“Bear the sin you must” Gaku stared right into Yuki’s eyes. Even though he did not know the full details, Gaku would always say what he believed in. “There are times when people are forced to make a choice between something terrible and another that is even more so. Whatever choices they make, like it or not, they have to accept the consequences and live with it.” Mitsuki, Tenn and Riku caught a hint of tremble in his voice. Riku wanted so much to break his lord character and squeeze Gaku’s. He wanted to tell him ‘it’s okay’.

Yuki shook his head again in denial. “I’m not strong like you, Yaotome-kun. Whenever I try to sing, I feel so much pain.”

“Then I’ll sing with you!” Momo blurted that out without thinking much. Anything to help Yuki move on with his life. “I know I can never replace Banri-san, but I can be your partner in crime. Then it won’t be Yuki’s fault anymore because I am the one who forces you to sing with me. I’ve been through terrible things. It shouldn’t be too hard for me to bear the guilt of trying to take someone’s place.”

The face Yuki was making said everything. He wanted to accept Momo’s offer so badly, yet he could not bring himself to involve a person he adored so much. The former idol could not find a way to reject, so he tried to find a reason why Momo could not do it. “What about your butler job?”

Momo’s eyes widened in shock. He was so focused on Yuki that he had forgotten about his own situation. “I shall speak with you later, Momose” Riku spoke. After that, the meeting went on to make sure everyone was on the same page. It ended around lunchtime. Nagi and Riku stayed longer to discuss some matters of the two worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Lovely people! I know this chapter was mainly focused on the meeting but i hope you enjoyed it anyway. This series is near ending so I'm trying my hardest to make it good ^^ Please leave comments <3 Any support is GREATLY appreciated! 
> 
> Allow me to scream: AHHHHHH GAKURIKUUUUUUUUU DAISUKI!!!! 
> 
> I'm on twitter as @kenarkrsun feel free to come say hi! ><


	28. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What are people doing before they begin with the plan to save the two worlds?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Lovely ppl Kenar here. This chapter focuses on characters interaction before moving on with the plot just to give some more fluff and relationships between ppl ^^ I went overboard and this chapter ended up being >8K words so take your time~! Hope you lovely ppl enjoy it XD

After the meeting ended around lunchtime, the people decided they would seriously commence the world-saving mission on the next day. The Majabahns needed some time to adjust to Silica, since it would be their base of the operation. Plus, after all the tragedy that happened, they felt they all deserved some kind of ‘vacation’.

**12:30, The Hotel**

Regulator Nagi offered a handshake to Lord Riku who took it with a reserved smile. Their private meeting on the political matter of the two worlds ended well. In other words, working hours were over for Nagi. The eccentric guy saw no need to keep his formalities. He went and wrapped his arm over Riku’s shoulder in a very friendly manner, which made Riku jump. Nagi’s head would have gone flying if Gaku was not guarding the door outside. “Why don’t we grab a nice warm cup of coffee, Riku?” Yikes. Nagi even dropped the title. Risky.

Riku did not have the heart to tell Nagi to back off. Despite feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he welcomed that bold friendliness he hardly ever received in life. Riku was rather conflicted. Should he break his lord character? “How very nice of you to invite me” Apparently, he did not feel ready to do so. “I accept”

~~

**12:30, The Hotel**

“Gaku-kun, you’re still here?”

The butler, who leaned his back against the wall and had his arms crossed over his chest, looked up to find a kind smile directed at him. “Ryuunosuke...” Gaku was not expecting the Silican to greet him since they were not exactly friends. Ryuu was not alone. Behind him stood Yamato who was holding a few cans of beer in his arms.

“Are you feeling better?” Ryuu walked closer to Gaku. He was genuinely concerned. He was referring to the time they first met when Gaku was overcome with guilt and grief.

However, Gaku returned that kindness with his brutal honesty. “What are you talking about?”

“You were so depressed the last time we met. I was worried” Ryuu’s eyebrows dropped.

“Worried? You?” Gaku frowned. Unlike his lord, he was not so trusting. “Why would you worry for a stranger?”

“Whoa harsh.” Yamato was a bit surprised. He and Ryuu had discussed what happened to them when they were apart, so he knew Gaku did not make a very good impression to him. “This guy seriously needs to loosen up” He threw a can of beer at Gaku who caught it easily. “Drink. Maybe this can help with your grumpy, scary face” Yamato smirked. Gaku seemed to be fascinated by the object in his hand. He heard ‘beer’ and yes, he once again craved an icy cold beer. He stared at it so much he did not hear Ryuu shouting at Yamato not to be rude.

Gaku gritted his teeth. He must never drink. “I’m on duty” He tossed the can back. Ryuu almost could not catch it.

“What?” Yamato chuckled. “Didn’t we agree that everyone is having a break?”

“I must remain vigilant for I am Nanase-sama’s faithful butler” Gaku spoke of his duty with pride. His blood boiled when Yamato burst out laughing in response. The scientist went to grab hold of Gaku’s hand. “All the more reason to enjoy your break, Yaotome. You don’t get much of it right?”

Under normal circumstances, Gaku would have cut Yamato’s hand off with his shuriken considering it was a threat. However, Riku had ordered him not to use magic or raise a weapon against these people at the hotel, or Gaku would receive near-fatal punishment.

It was that moment the grand door to the meeting room opened to reveal Nagi _pulling_ Riku out of the room by the arm. Gaku gasped in horror. Without thinking, he shook himself off Yamato’s grip and aimed his water magic at Nagi.

Riku knew something like this was going to happen. He swiftly raised his free hand to cast a yellow translucent barrier that surrounded both him and Nagi, reflecting the torrent to Gaku’s face. It sent Gaku flying backwards a few metres. Luckily there was not any furniture in the way. The butler landed on his bum, soaking wet. “OH!” Nagi cupped his face in surprise. Ryuu ran to help Gaku who was groaning get up.

“What did I say about using magic against the Silicans?” A yellow flame was fluxing out of Riku’s body Nagi could not help but stumble back. Gaku quickly went on one knee and bowed his head to Riku. “My deepest apologies, Nanase-sama. I thought-“

“Hey lord guy” Yamato did not like a tense atmosphere, so he decided to step in. Literally, he stepped in between Gaku and Riku.

“Are you referring to me?” Riku stared at Yamato. He did not mean to appear so intimidating, but his dragon blood aura made him so.

The scientist appeared unfazed. “Do you see any other lords here?” He chuckled. “Yamato, stop it!” Ryuu held onto Gaku’s body tightly. The poor guy was so scared.

“What do you need from me, Nikaido?” Riku’s overflowing aura died down.

Yamato shrugged his eyebrows. “Didn’t expect you to remember my name. I’m flattered.” When Riku did not reply, he continued. “Say, my husband and I want to hang out with Yaotome.” Yamato showed Riku a can of beer in his hand. “Mind if we borrow him for a day?” By now, Ryuu was muttering ‘we are going to die’ over and over again. Gaku stared at him, worrying for his mental state.

Riku suddenly appeared quite cute since he was surprised by Yamato’s question that he forgot to act in character. He put an index finger over his mouth and tilted his head. “You want Gaku? Would he not ruin your moment of fun?”

“Ahahahahaha!” Yamato laughed. He patted Riku’s shoulder twice. “You’re amazing, lord Riku. You can join us if you want. Although, you look too young to drink” With that, Yamato waved goodbye and signalled for Gaku and Ryuu to leave.

Riku turned back to face Nagi, returning to his lord character. “Well then, shall we have our coffee?”

Riku and Nagi sat down at the cafe just to the right of the hotel. The place was in black and white decorated with several green plants. Luckily, there were no flowers or Riku would have a difficult time inside. The lord looked at the till and the kitchen counter behind it curiously as there were several machines laid out: be it the cashier, the blender, the hob and the microwave. There was a small sign which said ‘Now accept Majabahn Rings’. He took a quick glance to find two Majabahns in the shop, judging from their clothes. It made Riku feel bad how fast Silica adapted to becoming Majabah’s neighbour. Majabah had only begun to import Silica’s card payment machine.

Nagi did not let Riku pick his order. He went up to the till, winked at the waitress and simply said “Beautiful _lady_ , two hot cocoa coffee please”. He tapped the bank card to the contactless payment machine and waited to take the order. Riku found the smart coffee machine to be peculiar. All the waitress needed to do was press a single button on it.

The lord wanted to ask so many questions. He was having a major internal war. _A lord must remain reserved at all times._ He recalled the former lord’s words. _It is a lord’s duty to be knowledgeable._ Riku felt stressed he could not keep his gentle smile. Even worse, stress was not good for his condition. He could feel his breathing becoming slightly uneven, not that Nagi would notice.

“Riku?” Nagi took a tray of two coffee cups to the table with comfortable black sofas. He set the tray down before taking a seat opposite to Riku. He noticed Riku seemed trouble. “Are you alright?”

“...ah yes. My apologies” It took a few seconds for the lord to register Nagi’s words. “Perhaps I am quite tired”

If Nagi was not smart, then he was perceptive and observing or Riku probably was not the best actor. “You know, you don’t have to be so formal around me, or any other Silicans. Not when it makes you this uptight.” Riku’s eyes went wide as he caught the seriousness in Nagi’s expression. “I understand if we have a formal meeting or a national negotiation, but right now I only see you as a friend, as an equal.”

_An equal._ Riku had a quick thought. _So this is what a world without classes is like._

“Very well, I apo- I-I’m sorry” Riku’s eyebrows dropped. “I did not realise I have been disrespecting Silica’s tradition this whole time” Riku put his right fist over his heart and bowed his head lightly. Instantly, Nagi could see Riku seemed much less stiff.

“ _Very Good!_ ” Nagi gave Riku a thumps up. He was asked to explain this hand gesture, so he taught Riku how to do it. Their conversation finally became much more natural and enjoyable. It was not long before Nagi introduced Riku his favourite anime character: Magical Girl Kokona.

~~

**12:30, The Izumi Residence**

“Ahhh I’ve never thought I would ever miss home this much!”

As soon as Mitsuki entered his house with Iori, he ran inside to look around. Things were kept neat and tidy, as expected of Iori. Even with Tenn’s belongings placed inside Mitsuki’s room, it did not change that much. Nostalgia hit him. It was nice to be at home. Sadness filled half of his heart when he thought about his decision to settle down in Majabah.

_Is it truly what I want? What about Iori?_

Being a doctor was never easy for Mitsuki. It was a challenging job, be it dealing with people, leading the surgery or preparing the medical procedures for severe cases. Then he found himself in Majabah, where it was _impossible_ to survive without magic. Having to learn and practice the art of Beastmastery from scratch was tough but equally rewarding. Even though he was a servant, he did not feel like one. Sure, Mitsuki admitted: had he been teleported to someone else’s house, he would have probably seen Majabah differently. However, now that he had adapted to living there, it became a difficult decision for him to choose only a single path.

Not only that, Mitsuki would be lying to say that he had got over Riku. No, he had not at all. It was painful watching his lord spending more time with Gaku. They never showed their affection towards each other, which was understandable considering the positions they were in. It hurt him nonetheless. He wanted to see Riku be his true self, to see Riku be happy. He would rather be there to ensure those two end up together somehow.

Then there was Iori, Mitsuki’s only remaining family.

“Nii-san, why do you have to serve him?” Iori sat down at the dining table, his fingers fidgeting under the table. To say he felt betrayed would be extreme, but he was disappointed. Hurt.

Mitsuki stopped staring out the large window. He went to sit right next to Iori. “Why?” The high school boy seemed to be speaking with gritted teeth. “Why do you choose to have a rough life?” The boy’s eyes were now red. “Why do you choose that world over me?” Iori thought about what he had been through to save Mitsuki. Was it all for nought?

“That’s not true, Iori” Mitsuki patted his little brother’s back. “You are the most precious person in the world to me, and you always will be, but people need to walk their own paths. It doesn’t mean that I cut ties with you”

Iori remained silent, so Mitsuki continued. “I’m happy you went through such length to find me when all must have been a hopeless search. I was always worried about you, Iori, even though I knew how matured you are. Though now I see you are able to make your own decisions and solve problems with thorough planning. I can rest assured knowing you are strong enough to survive on your own. This is why I made that decision.”

Internally, the doctor steeled his resolve. _This is definitely what I want. Iori is strong. I believe in him._

Iori took a deep breath in before letting out a long exhale. “So many things happened in such a short time, Nii-san. You disappeared, Tenn-san appeared out of nowhere, we set out to find you and ended up starting the calamity. You sacrificed your life to save me. Well, almost. Then the lord found Tenn-san and I are sharing magic. After that, you chose to stay in Majabah” The high school boy glanced at his brother. “I don’t know how I should process things anymore. Although i-if you promise to visit me often, I suppose I can let you go” He felt his face turning pink so he looked away.

Mitsuki beamed. He ruffled Iori’s hair. “Of course, Iori! You are my cute little brother after all”

“N-nii-san stop it. This is embarrassing!” Iori spoke when actually he wanted more.

“Oh by the way” Mitsuki suddenly stopped. He sat properly again, so Iori turned to face him. “I know you are staying in Silica. What about Tenn?”

Flustered Iori stuttered for the hundredth time today. “W-w-what does Tenn-san’s decision have to do with me, Nii-san?”

“Well you two are dating, right?” Mitsuki smirked, knowing he had won. “Tenn told me he’s a new idol here. Does that mean he will remain in Silica?”

Speak of the devil. Mitsuki and Iori turned their heads to the sound of the door opening. “Tadaima (I’m home)” Tenn walked in. He stopped when his eyes met Iori’s. “What? Did I interrupt something?”

“No, no, Tenn-san. Welcome back” Iori replied. The doctor then explained that they were talking about Tenn’s decision.

Tenn answered with a neutral expression. “I spoke to Anesagi-san just now. I can resume my idol work here. There is just one problem.” He took a seat opposite to Iori’s

“What is it?” Iori asked.

“If Yuki-san is returning to show business then I don’t have a manager” It was then Tenn stared right into Iori’s eyes with a serious gaze. “Izumi Iori, will you be my manager?”

The high school boy took a few seconds for Tenn’s words to register in his head. “Yes, Tenn-san! Gladly!” Mitsuki giggled seeing his little brother forgetting to hide his excitement.

“Thank you” Tenn’s face now matched the colour of his hair.

~~

**12:45, the Okazaki Agency**

“Yuki-kun, It’s really you!”

The moment Yuki and Momo stepped into a certain small office, a man wearing thick black glasses rushed to Yuki. He looked surprised to see the former idol. In fact, everyone in the office seemed surprised. “I was so worried. After ‘that’ happened, I’ve been trying to contact you, but I couldn’t reach you at all”

“Okarin” Yuki spoke, his expression remained unchanged. “I’m back”

“Mou, Yuki-kun, don’t just disappear like that.” Okarin noticed nervous Momo standing next to Yuki. “Who is that with you?”

Okarin swore he saw Yuki smile for a millisecond. Yuki placed his hand firmly on Momo’s shoulder. “This is Momo. He wants to be my partner” Momo immediately blushed when his imagination went a little too wild. “U-um Hello, Okarin-san”

The man laughed in response. “Ahaha my name is Okazaki Rinto, but you can call me the same way Yuki does”

“Uwahh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude!” Momo panicked and bowed repeatedly. Okarin told Momo not to worry about it. His expression then turned more serious. “Now, Yuki-kun” He looked at Yuki in the eye. “Okazaki agency is more than happy to have you back, but we can’t just let anyone walk into a showbiz”

“I will only sing if Momo does” Yuki stared back at his manager, earning a sigh from Okarin.

“He will have to go through an audition” Okarin turned to face Momo. He adjusted his glasses while observing the boy’s appearance. “I take it you are from that other world. Silica’s entertainment business isn’t kind, you know that?”

Momo blinked twice before smiling back fully. “No problem, Okarin-san! I’ve been through a lot” He put his arm over Yuki’s waist. The two exchanged a brief moment of romantic glance before turning back to face Okarin.

Okarin saw now what was going on. “Alright, prepare for your audition, Momo-kun.”

~~

Momo’s rigorous training to become a Geomancer was paying off. He had to memorize several complicated songs to control his power. He had to hit the notes perfectly at the right rhythm. Otherwise, he could cause a disaster.

“Embrace the dark you call a home...”

Momo knew his charms. The robe he was wearing mixed with sexy hip movements easily captivated his audience. Both Yuki and Okarin could not take their eyes off the boy.

Momo might have gone slightly overbroad as two potted plants in the room began to produce whole bunches of colourful flowers. By the end of the song, Momo stood between two large flower bouquets half of his body size.

Yuki was the first to sign a renewed contract with Okazaki agency right after that performance. Yuki decided to keep the name Re:vale as a memorial for Banri.

Momo grabbed a pen. However, his hand would not stop shaking when he stared at the paper. If he signed it, he would be acting out of the high lord’s order. As a Majabahn, it was one of the biggest crimes for the butler to commit.

“Momo-kun, is there a problem?” questioned Okarin. Seeing as Momo was troubled, Yuki explained that Momo was a servant of Majabah’s lord and he would need permission to leave the position.

“I didn’t realise Majabah has such a strong tradition” Okarin adjusted his glass again. “Well, I’ll give you time to talk to the lord. After all, Yuki said he wouldn’t sing without you” He smiled. Momo bowed and thanked him greatly.

Yuki and Momo nodded in understanding. They knew what exactly they had to do later today.

~~

**12:50, the Rooftop Bar**

“Can’t believe we’re here during midday”

Gaku, Yamato and Ryuu were sitting at the counter of the bar. The place was surprisingly not empty even though the sun was still up. After Gaku got changed, the three were just about to drink beer in the hotel room when Yamato had a ‘better idea’. In the end, they ended up at this bar a few stops away from the hotel. Gaku did not think he was afraid of heights until he got on the sky train and looked down from above. At least it was not that bad. Otherwise, he would be freaking out right about now.

Ryuu ordered a bottle of chocolate wine for everyone to share. The butler had come to love the taste of it immediately. The three bonded quickly over alcohol. Ryuu refused any payment from Gaku, so Gaku gave the married couple a letter with a seal representing Yaotome family. He said with it they could contact him without any issues when they visit Majabah.

A bottle was nothing for the three of them. Although, Gaku refused to drink another as he had to remain vigilant should his lord need him. “Why don’t you and Riku get smartphones?” There was a hitch in Gaku’s breath when he heard Yamato calling his lord by his first name. He had to constantly remind himself he was in Silica. Ignoring that, Gaku’s eyes were glued at the smartphone in Ryuu’s hand. “What kind of sorcery is this?!” He exclaimed in awe, earning a good laugh from the couple. “It’s funny to hear you say that when you are a wizard” spoke Yamato.

“By the way, Yaotome” The scientist stopped laughing. He had a glass of swirling chocolate wine in his hand. “Got anyone you like?”

Gaku coughed. He almost spilt his wine all over the place.

Ryuu laughed dryly. “Looks like he has someone in mind”

Gaku blushed when he thought about his lord the instant he heard that question. True, a lot happened between them and Gaku was only coming to accept the being Riku had become. Well, they say love overpowers anything, right?

“Hehhhhh” Yamato smirked in amusement. “Who is it? Must be quite a fine lady if he meets your expectation”

_Lady._ Gaku choked again. This time, he choked on nothing.

“Oh” Ryuu blinked twice before smiling. Unlike Yamato, he did not have a teasy tone as he was genuinely curious. “Or is it a gentleman?”

Gaku blushed even harder. That man was too honest to hide anything.

“Ohohohohoho” Yamato was having so much fun. Time to increase the tension. “Is it Riku?” Ryuu panicked. “Yamato-kun!”

There was a brief moment of silence when Ryuu turned his head to face the butler. Gaku remained as red as a beet. He wanted to blurt out a loud ‘NO!’ and punished Yamato for having no respect, but his heart stopped him from doing so.

“Wait...” Yamato’s smirk turned into a shocked expression. He placed his wine glass back on the table. He leaned forward. “Seriously?”

When Gaku only looked down with a grim expression on his face, Yamato and Ryuu looked at each other. “Excuse me” Ryuu called the bartender. “Can we get three pints of beer please?”

Yamato placed a glass of beer in front of Gaku. He patted the butler’s back twice. “Here, you’ll need it”

“...thanks” Gaku accepted it. He began to down the beer in one go.

“Hey, um...” Yamato hesitated a little. Part of the reasons he asked about Gaku’s love life was to suggest this. “There’s a firework display tonight at the hotel lawn.”

Ryuu smiled nicely at Gaku. “If you don’t have anyone with you, you can sit with us!”

Gaku did not understand why the two told him this. He remembered it anyway. “Noted. Thanks, Ryuunosuke, Nikaido”

~~

**14:30, District One Public Park**

After having a pleasant conversation with Nagi, Riku came to a large public park by the Regulator’s recommendation. His eyes sparkled to see how fascinatingly beautiful the park was. The huge park was separated into four sections, each representing a season. At that moment, Riku was in the Autumn section where the orange and red leaves were falling and covering the ground. Nagi explained the trees were ‘genetically modified’ to not be affected by the actual season. Riku understood it to be like how Momo could use Geomancy to control how the plants grow.

Riku’s appearance made him stood out. Even though his black long-sleeved shirt, his brown vest and trousers should have blended in with his surroundings, all garments were embroidered with gold threads. The buttons were made of rare shiny gemstones. It would be strange if a passerby did not turn their head to look at the lord.

Riku did not mind the whispers and gossips he was receiving from the Silicans. He was used to it. Being a lord meant people would always talk about him. True, the Majabahns feared their lord, but the townspeople do sometimes talk about him. Especially since he travelled.

The Majabahns who were visiting the park all greeted Riku to show respect. He appeared to be a high-ranked noble after all. Most nobles put their palms over their hearts and nodded while the commoners bowed. Riku always greeted back, with a reserved smile as a bonus.

However, there was one Majabahn who refused to greet him.

“Riku! What are you doing here without an escort?!”

After signing a photo for his fan, Tenn excused himself to chase after a familiar redhead who walked past him.

“Ah Tenn-nii!” Riku turned around. His wide smile was blinding. “Are you-wah?!”

Tenn pulled Riku’s shirt. He then hissed at his little brother. “Where are your servants? You can’t be here on your own! What if you have an attack?”

Riku began to pout. “Tenn-nii, it’s fine. I feel much better today thanks to the medicines Mitsuki got me”

Tenn was only half-convinced. “Have you got an inhaler on you?”

Riku pulled a blue object out of his hidden vest pocket. “Yes”

Tenn sighed in relief. “Okay, but I’m not leaving you alone.”

The two walked around the autumnal park in silence. It was so quiet that the sound of crunching leaves was seemingly loud. Riku’s gaze was fixated on his brother who was walking next to him. He reached his hand to grab hold of Tenn’s. Tenn glanced at Riku to remind him it was inappropriate. “Riku...”

“I know” Riku shuffled closer to Tenn. “Just for a little bit” Tenn decided not to scold the boy. He also missed his little brother greatly, so he gently squeezed Riku’s hand. They did not get to hold hands much when they were kids, but Tenn remembered that Riku’s hand was always warm.

Right now, Riku’s hand was anything but that. Tenn wondered why it was so cold. The coldness was different from when a body was exposed to the cold weather. Not to mention it was Summer in Silica.

Tenn snapped out of his train of thought when he saw tears rolling down his twin’s face. “Riku, what’s wrong?” The lord could not take it anymore. He rested his head on Tenn’s left shoulder before wrapping his arms around Tenn’s slender waist. Tenn returned the hug, letting Riku sob in it for one long moment. A dread feeling in Tenn’s heart got stronger. _Why is Riku’s body so cold?_

All of a sudden, Tenn pushed Riku away. His breathing became rapid. He tried to tell his loud beating heart that he was just being paranoid, but somehow it was not working. Something was not right. He tried to think rationally yet his instinct would not let him.

“Tenn-nii?” And Riku was giving him that hurtful look. Inside those pair of amber eyes, Tenn could see an emotion that should not be there. _Why is Riku feeling guilty?_ It was as if Tenn’s gut feeling was right. Tenn’s body trembled similarly to how Gaku reacted to seeing his lord the night at the inn. Riku slowly reached his hand up to touch Tenn only to find his older twin stepping away from him.

“Riku, you-” Tenn gasped. “You’re dead”

There was a hitch in Riku’s breath. The lord let gravity pulled his hand and chin down. Tenn gasped again. “You’ve got to be kidding...” A normal person would have laughed at Tenn for saying strange things. A normal person would have thought Tenn had lost his mind. Still, all Riku gave Tenn was silence, as if Tenn’s crazy suspicion was right.

“Say something!” Tenn lunged at Riku, grabbing the boy’s shirt the same way he did earlier. “Say that I’m wrong. Say that I’ve gone crazy!” Riku continued to give him that guilty look.

“Tenn-nii” Riku touched Tenn’s arm with care. Tenn looked up to find Riku teary glowing eyes. “I am sorry...”

“No!” Tenn screamed, though not very loudly, it was heart-wrenching to Riku. This time it was he who rested his forehead on Riku’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around the waist.

~~

Tenn sat on a bench nearby quietly to calm himself while Riku was crouching in the front, attempting to feed the brown squirrel that was finding food near them. The animals in Silica did not know of magic, so they did not fear Riku. Riku had some dried fruits in his pocket. The squirrel was brave enough to take a piece directly from his hand. “Uwahhhh so cute”

“The fur will trigger your attack, Riku” Tenn muttered with his shaky voice.

Riku left about two more tiny pieces of dried fruit on the ground before taking a seat right next to Tenn. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Don’t be stupid” Tenn hissed. “How can I be when my little brother is dead?”

Riku’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s-“

“Who are you then?” Tenn cut Riku off. His voice turned cold.

“It’s me! Riku!” The lord looked like he was going to cry again.

Tenn certainly was not immune to Riku’s puppy eyes. He decided he would hear Riku out before jumping to conclusions. “I thought it was strange that you were alive after using your magic to save the world. No, it’s strange enough you could use that much magic. Also, your power was so different when we fought. I thought something was off. What in the world happened, Riku?”

Riku felt uncomfortable talking about his death, but his twin brother deserved to know the truth. “I-I died not too long before the calamity” Riku explained what happened at the village near the volcano, how Tamaki brought him back to life and how his magic power changed. Tenn wanted to close his heart to protect himself from the harsh reality. He knew he could not do it. Not when Riku was sitting right next to him, trying to keep his breaths steady while telling his story.

“I feel terrible” Tenn spoke with a sad expression on his face. “Gaku told me you spent years searching for me, and now that we reunite, it’s too late. I’m not saying you are not you, Riku. I’m just- I am running away from my fate to live in Silica when you don’t even have a choice to live the way you want to”

Riku smiled lightly. “Thank you, Tenn-nii, but you don’t have to feel bad. I know you’ve also been through tough times. Besides, I am happy to be with you again, even if we don’t live together. I love you, Tenn-nii”

Tenn finally returned his smile to Riku. The boy had not changed after all. He was still his childish little brother. “I love you too, Riku.” He took hold of his little brother’s hand. Somehow, that coldness did not bother him anymore.

~~

**14:30, SkySilica**

“Been a while, huh?”

Mitsuki walked into an office full of MagiKona merch. He smiled. It was not unexpected.

“ _Mitsooki..._ ”

That smile dropped when Nagi would not stop looking at him with a sad face. “Stop giving me that look. It’s annoying.”

“You are not _okay_. It’s easy to tell” Nagi went into his serious mode. He walked forward until he was right in front of his old friend.

“I’m trying to be” Mitsuki clenched his fists.

Nagi put his hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder. “There is no need to put on a tough front-“

“BAKA! If I don’t then Iori will drown in guilt!” Feeling frustrated, Mitsuki shouted. “He looks at me the same way you do. It’s painful to watch.” He took a deep breath in to process his thoughts. He put his hands on his waist. “Look, it’s hard for me to accept, but it’s really not as bad as you think. Like I said before, this feels just like a natural leg”

“If you say so...” Nagi decided to back off. He turned around and walked to the end of the room to watch the view of the worlds.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Mitsuki followed his friend. “I know you wouldn’t call me just to talk about this”

Nagi made a hand gesture for Mitsuki to take a seat in front of his desk. “Riku mentioned you want to open up a hospital in Majabah” Nagi sat down. It seemed like a serious talk.

“Yeah” Mitsuki replied. “Is there a problem?”

“ _No,_ It can be done easily. I just-” Nagi stopped speaking so abruptly, earning an eyebrow shrug from Mitsuki. “Just...?”

Nagi remained silent so the doctor frowned this time. “Nagi, what is it?”

A hurtful look appeared on that handsome face again. “Mitsuki, do you really have no feelings for me?”

_Ah._ Mitsuki flinched, though it was not unexpected. Nagi of all people of course would be bothered by his decision to stay in Majabah. “We’ve talked about this”

“ _Yes, but-_ ”

The doctor sighed. “Nagi, listen. No, I don’t love you more than a friend”

The Regulator had tears in his eyes by now. “You found someone, didn’t you?”

“I did...” Mitsuki trailed off. “...which puts me in the same situation as you.” With a full breath in, he continued. “Even so, I am willing to support that person. It doesn’t matter if I don’t get anything in return. One day, I might change my mind, but for now, this is what I want to do”

With that, Mitsuki got up and excused himself, leaving Nagi to rest his forehead on interlaced hands.

“ _Oh Mitsooki..._ ”

~~

**15:45, the department store**

Iori was staring intently at the selection of notebooks on the shelf in a large stationery shop. He was not the only one staring as Tenn was doing so too. Except, the idol was staring at Iori.

“I thought you could write on a tablet anyway. Why are you buying a notebook?” Tenn crossed his arms.

“I prefer writing thoughts down on paper before typing them up” Iori had his hand on his chin. It seemed he could not decide which notebook to buy. One was dark blue. The other had a blue and white striped cover.

Tenn sighed. Those notebook designs looked nothing like something Iori would like. He noticed Iori sometimes glanced at the pink notebook with fluffy rabbits at the far corner of the shelf. The idol walked away from the shelf, leaving Iori in his cloud of thoughts.

Tenn went to a stall selling pens and mechanical pencils. The idol scanned the shelf for a pen with a cute and fluffy charm. A proud smile appeared on his face when he saw a plain-looking one with a medium-sized furry white cat head charm dangling from it. Tenn took it and went to the cashier. When he finished, Iori remained at the same spot, striking the exact same pose as before.

Tenn sighed again. He decided to go to the notebook shelf and grabbed the pink one. "I'm buying it for you. We're leaving" Tenn turned around swiftly, storming to the cashier without waiting for Iori's stuttering response. "W-wait Tenn-san that's not-"

Tenn pushed a paper bag of the notebook and the pen into Iori's hand. "I know you like them. No need to answer"

After taking a peek at the items inside the bag, Iori blushed. He murmured "Thank you, Tenn-san" when Tenn was already a safe distance away from him. The idol smiled to himself, knowing exactly what Iori was doing.

Tenn and Iori were not the most talkative people, yet they knew how to make their time together enjoyable. It did not necessarily involve talking or showing affection towards each other. Their connection ran deeper than that, meaning one would notice if the other were acting strange too.

Iori frowned. He noticed Tenn kept glancing back at the doughnut shop while walking around the 5th floor of this large department store. Other people would not know Tenn was distracted, but Iori was very observant. Plus, he was going to be Tenn's manager. He ought to have a perceptive eye, right?

"Tenn-san" Iori confronted Tenn after browsing items in another shop and ended up not buying any. "Why do you keep looking at the doughnut shop?"

Tenn's eyes widened. He had underestimated Iori's skill. "It's nothing"

"Do you want them?" Iori was not about to let that go.

"No" Tenn resumed walking. "Let's go"

"No" Iori took hold of Tenn's arm. "Something is bothering you. I can tell."

Tenn stood still. He stared at Iori's face for two whole seconds before finally coming clean. "I was thinking that Riku might like them"

"So you want to buy some for him" Iori sighed. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Well..." Tenn looked away a little. He kept his voice quiet. "You and Riku don't exactly get along so I didn't want to upset you"

Iori's gaze turned soft in an instant. "What a cute person" He muttered loud enough for Tenn to hear.

"Huh?" Tenn's mouth dropped.

" _Ahem_ nothing!" Iori cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Nanase-san and I might never be friends, but he is still your only real family. I won't ever stop you from spoiling him."

Tenn chuckled before coming to a sudden stop. He pressed his palms on Iori's shoulders with all his weight. "One day you'll get along with Riku. I'm sure of it."

Iori swore he could feel a chill down his spine. "M-maybe he isn't such a bad guy haha...hahaha"

~~

**17:00, the convenience store**

Human-forme Tamaki exited the convenience store with a bag full of a particular dessert called ‘Ousama Pudding’. It seemed he had taken more than a liking to the taste of it. He was eating one as soon as he got outside the store. That was when he noticed someone familiar.

“You adapt fast huh, dragon?”

Gaku the proud butler walked towards the younger boy, eyeing the item in his hand. Tamaki was ready to defend his food. He let his guard down when Gaku made it clear he was not interested.

“I don’t get why humans are so complicated” He put the bottle up to his mouth, knocking the last bit of pudding in the jar down. “As long as there’s food, I’ll live. It’s simple as that. Okay. I’ll admit it’s nice to have some friends too. Like Rikkun and Mikki”

Gaku joined Tamaki in leaning on the store window. “Speaking of Nanase-sama, you said my lord is a half-dragon?”

“Mhmhmm” Tamaki nodded. “Cool right?”

Gaku refused to answer. He moved on. “You said your power is the same as the Keeper. So tell me this” He gave Tamaki an intense glare. “If the keeper is defeated, will my lord’s life be taken away too?”

Tamaki thought for a bit. His expression remained relaxed as if it was not big of a deal. “Hmmm nah Rikkun should be fine. Wouldn’t be right to take back what was given” Tamaki smiled a little.

Gaku felt so much lighter in an instant. “Thank you...for saving my lord. I don’t think I’ve said this before. You have my gratitude” He put his hand over his heart and bowed.

Tamaki smiled even wider. “Heh Gakkun is not as scary as I thought.” He reaches his hand into a paper bag, grabbed one of the bottles and handing it to Gaku. “Here, just this once I’ll share my favourite food with you”

Gaku looked at the pudding curiously before taking it from Tamaki’s hand. “Thanks, dragon”

~~

**20:00, the hotel**

As soon as Riku opened his door, Momo went on one knee and bowed his head. Yuki hesitantly copied Momo. “My deepest apologies for interrupting your rest, my lord”

“You may rise, Momose and...Yukito. Come in”

Momo was about to kneel on the floor at the dining table when Riku instructed him to sit on the chair. “I am on my own. There is no need to be so formal, especially when we are in Silica.” Riku smiled before taking the seat opposite to Yuki and Momo. He then used object manipulation magic to move an electric kettle, a box of tea bags and three cups from the other end of the room to the table. A good thing a hotel staff had taught Riku how to use the electronic appliances earlier so he had the hot water ready.

Yuki looked at the ‘performance’ curiously as Riku continued to use magic to pour water into cups with teabags. “WAH! M-m-my lord I’ll do it!” Momo panicked when he realised he was being served. Riku only chuckled. “I can’t be that bad at making tea” He teased the older boy.

After the tea was made, Riku started the serious talk. “I take it this is about singing”

“Y-yes, Nanase-sama” Momo had an apologetic look on his face. “I am full of gratitude for-“

“Save it, Momose” Riku cut him off before he got to hear his servant say sorry hundred times. “I have never said that you have to serve me for the rest of your life. I was only trying to help you. You are free to do whatever you like”

Yuki’s eyes widened. “Does that mean...?”

“Yes” Riku nodded. “Momose has my permission to go free”

“B-but!” Momo gave his lord a sad look. “Who’s going to look after my lord’s garden? What about my lord’s health?”

Riku’s eyebrow dropped when he saw how worried Momo was. “Do not worry. We have once managed without a Geomancer. Although I would miss your clothes designs and beautiful unique gardens. As for my illness, Mitsuki makes me take Silican medicines.” He smiled. “Enjoy your life as a songster...or what’s it called- an idol. Know that you are welcomed back at the mansion anytime should anything change”

Momo ‘o’ shaped mouth soon curved into a smile. “Nanase-sama is too kind! Thank you so very much!” The butler proposed he would go back to the mansion every Sunday to tend to the garden. Riku gave a letter similar to what Gaku gave the married couple to Momo.

Riku looked at both Yuki and Momo to let them know they were both welcomed at the mansion. “Tenn mentioned that he is also an idol. I do wonder what it is like to sing and dance on stage, so tell me about your experience some time!”

~~

**21:00, the hotel**

Mitsuki walked into Riku’s room with a tray of medicines. The doctor had already changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Riku, sitting on a couch in front of a large TV, turned to face the Silican. He looked at Mitsuki thoroughly from top to bottom.

“Ah!” Mitsuki noticed Riku was staring, and probably judging what he was wearing. “Sorry, Riku. I didn’t change into a butler uniform” He did not forget. It was a pain to put a whole double layer of outfit on with so many props to attach. He only wanted to quickly visit the lord to make sure he takes the right medicine.

Riku shook his head. He gave a sad look. “No, my apologies. I am simply not used to the, um, difference in our worlds” Only commoners would wear something so casual in Majabah.

Mitsuki smiled. He set the tray down on the low table before sitting down next to Riku. “You don’t need to adapt to things in one day just because you are a lord, you know?”

Riku smiled back. “Thank you, Mitsuki. Ah!” He grabbed a pastry box on the table and opened it to reveal 7 round objects inside. “Look, Tenn-nii got me these sweets!”

“Doughnuts, huh?” There were several flavours: 1 strawberry, 2 chocolate icing, 2 sugar glazed and 2 blue icing. “So you had the strawberry one?”

“It’s soooo nice! I’ve never tasted anything quite like it” Mitsuki swore he could see stars in Riku’s shiny eyes, literally. He giggled. “You love it, huh? You know what? I know a place that sells big doughnuts with loaded toppings!”

“Uwaaaah!” Another star appeared on each of Riku’s eyes. “Does that mean it will be even sweeter?”

“Yup!” Mitsuki nodded.

“WAAAHHHH!” Riku’s body was surrounded by a lovely pink aura with floating hearts. “You have to take me there!”

Mitsuki was surprised but who cares when the guy was so cute. “Sure! And actually I can make pretty good doughnuts myself”

“What?” Riku appeared disappointed in a second. All his radiating aura and stars disappeared. He grabbed Mitsuki’s shoulder and shook it. “How come you’ve never made me any?”

“You’ve never asked???” Mitsuki shouted back, but Riku was still sulking. “Oh come on, I’ll make you more from now on, my lord”

Riku beamed right away. “Yayyy! Mitsuki is the best! Here, here take a doughnut~!” So Mitsuki and Riku each enjoyed a doughnut.

“Ne, Mitsuki.” Riku spoke shyly after a brief moment of silence. “Thank you”

“For what?” The doctor gave his lord a confused look.

“For...always being by my side. I’m happy. And grateful. I’m even happier when you decided to stay in Majabah.”

Riku probably did not know that made blushing Mitsuki the happiest man in the world that night.

~~

**22:00, the hotel**

Riku lied on the king-sized bed with his arm resting over his forehead. He was still in his full lord attire. He felt too dizzy to change. It was the effect of the medicine he took. Mitsuki said his body needed some time to adjust to it.

It was not just that. The lord felt worn out in general, which was understandable considering the situation he was in.

Riku did not get up when he heard the sound of the keycard reader activating. Of course, it must have been Gaku. Nagi booked a large room for the lord and his personal butler to share, thinking it was the most ideal.

“You are back already?” Riku rolled onto his side and asked. Gaku seemed to be surprised seeing his lord so exhausted.

“Yes, Nanase-sama.” Gaku went to kneel by Riku’s bedside. “Are you unwell?”

“Perhaps I am a bit weary. There is nothing to worry about” Riku gave the guy his small smile. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

Gaku nodded. “They are an interesting bunch, those Silicans”

“Well I am surprised you do not smell like alcohol”

“I had a few, my lord” Gaku seemed to be feeling a bit guilty.

Riku returned a sad look. “Did you hold back because of me?”

“I live to serve you, my lord”

Riku let out a loud sigh. “Is there no way you and I could be equal?”

Gaku frowned. “I am afraid you must continue to hold an absolute power-“

“This is not about Majabah, Gaku-ngh” Riku got up too fast the walls were spinning around him. Gaku supported him just in time, so Riku looked up at his servant’s face. “This is about you and me”

There was something about those pleading eyes that made Riku a mild manipulator. They even lit up like gems in this dimly lit room. Gaku found them as beautiful as polished rubies. “Nanase-sama, what exactly are you asking?” He kneeled back down.

“Those people” Riku was referring to the ones he encountered today. “They speak to me normally whenever there is no need for formalities” He shot his curious look at Gaku. “Why can you not do that? You only ever speak to me so casually when I order you to do so.”

Gaku shook his head. “That is just irresponsible and inappropriate. As a Yaotome-”

“Is your pride more important than my feelings, Gaku?” The butler was shocked when the lord cut him off. “Has loneliness never bothered you?” Gaku was at a loss for words.

“All I want is for us...to have a deeper connection.” Riku blushed a little. He was even slightly fidgety. “Is it too much to ask for?” Riku reached his hand down to lift Gaku’s chin up to face him. “I am ready, and have been for a long time to be my true self around you, but I cannot do so if you refuse to do the same”

Gaku swallowed hard. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his sensitive lord’s feelings. He did not realise he had been doing so. Riku knew that ever since Mitsuki appeared, Gaku had made an effort to do things outside of tradition. However, it still felt like there was a large gap between them as Gaku would always be cautious about his actions. Riku was willing to close it, but this was not something he could do on his own.

“My lord if I may” Although, Gaku had an excuse. “Ever since I was born, I was groomed to be your servant. As much as I would like to ‘be myself’ around you, I do not know how.”

“You misunderstood me. I am not asking you to change your personality, just the way you act around me”

Gaku gritted his teeth. “It feels wrong”

“It isn’t!” Riku broke his lord character. “Can’t you do it for me? You were the one who told me it’s okay to be a little selfish.” He pouted, crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

_Alright, here goes._ Gaku gave in to Riku’s hurt face and his hidden ‘desire’. He rose up before sitting on the edge of the bed right next to Riku, not leaving much of a gap between them. Riku continued to pout, refusing to look at his butler. “Nanase-sama...” Gaku lightly tugged Riku’s left arm, but Riku quickly pulled away and huffed. “Are you angry?” Gaku asked. The childish lord only replied with “hmph!”.

So the butler tried again. “Nanase-sama” ended up being ignored. Gaku shuffled even closer before gently placing his hand over Riku’s waist. “Riku” He blushed before saying the lord’s name.

“Took you long enough” Finally, Riku smiled at his butler. Gaku swore Riku was playing with his heart which was beating so loud the boy could definitely hear. The lack of warmth from Riku’s body was not something Gaku could get used to quickly. The butler was telling himself to focus on Riku’s feelings which replaced everything. He cared no longer. Whatever his lord was, he was willing to accept him.

“Hey, um” Gaku could not think of anything to talk about. That was when the conversation with the two scientists saved the day. _The firework!_ “There is a firework display at the hotel garden. Should we...go see?”

~~

Gaku and Riku held hands as they walked through the lobby back door out to the flower garden. They were so into their moment of affection. They did not care that some other couples were sitting at different spots in the garden too. Yamato smirked when he saw Gaku appeared with the lord. He poked Ryuu who ended up staring at the two in awe. Opposite to the Silican couple stood the Tsundere pair. Instead of looking at Iori, Tenn shot a murderous glare at Gaku.

Nagi and Mitsuki stood together in the middle of the circular part. Their last conversation might have been bitter, but their friendship was far too strong to end. Momo and Yuki were cuddling on the bench at one of the corners. Baby dragon Tamaki slept comfortably near them. The squared garden was surrounded by tall decorated bushes, acting as fences, so they were safe from stalkers outside, should there be any.

After a brief moment, shots of lights appeared travelling up towards the night sky, bursting out into colourful sparkles. Everyone in the garden shared the same thought. They wanted this happiness to last forever. Treating the fireworks like shooting stars, each of them made a wish or set their determination. Gaku interlaced his hands and prayed.

_May I have the strength to protect my lord. For the future of Majabah. For the future of us._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Momo sang was the song Azura from Fire Emblem Fates Conquest sing ^^  
> Comments and votes are greatly appreciated! They keep me motivated so thank you!!   
> Lol I love this chap's Yamato haha
> 
> As usual I'll leave my twitter here: @kenarkrsun ^^ My instragram acc I left in the previous chapters/stories is no longer in use so if you wanna find me please do so on Twitter ehehe~


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